Kingdom Eater: Death School (on hiatus)
by Hog s Head
Summary: Rose and Misuto are childhood friends from the Destiny Islands. Follow them as they adjust to school in the big city. Of course this is Death City, and it isn't long before they get caught up in the usual Madness, Black Blood, and some old foes out for revenge. But Rose and Misuto too are more than they seem. Rated T for violence (black) blood, eventual romance and character death.
1. Chapter 1

It was a breezy September day in Death Valley, the sky overhead dotted with thin and wispy clouds. A brightly colored spacecraft descended from the heavens, streaking toward the ground like a shooting star. The morning sun panted and grimaced as the gummi ship landed just outside the enormous gates of Death City.

A ramp lowered and six people disembarked. Two of them, the youngest at 14 and 13, were carrying suitcases. The group chatted for a while, then after a round of goodbyes and hugs, the four parents retreated into the gummi ship, and it blasted off into the sky, the glare of its engines dwindling to a dot before disappearing, leaving the young boy and girl in a could of dust.

The boy, whose named was Misuto, had deep blue eyes and a mane of spiky brown hair. He wore patched cargo shorts, a sand-colored shirt, and a roughly made brown leather vest. He was tanned from spending most of his life outdoors.

The girl, Rose, had long sandy-blonde hair and was wearing a white hooded sweatshirt and black jeans. She was paler than her companion and the desert heat seemed not to bother her, in spite of her clothing. The most striking thing about her appearance was her eyes. They were bright violet.

Rose and Misuto stared up at the sky for a moment before turning to face Death City. Its many towers and tall buildings loomed over them imposingly.

"It's sure not like home." Rose remarked. Her long sandy-blonde hair fluttered in the autumn breeze, as she gazed at the DWMA itself, visible above the surrounding buildings.

"It's no island." Misuto agreed. He glanced at his watch. "Orientation is in an hour, we should get moving.

"Right."

The two of them picked up their suitcases and walked through Death City's enormous gate. Death City has narrow cobbled streets that wound their way in and around the Gothic and Victorian buildings that came in all shapes and sizes. Just inside the gate was a large plaza with a fountain in the center, and grand, sweeping staircases leading upward in three directions. The path to the school was clear enough and the young Weapon and Meister pair mounted the first of what was to be many stairs.

As they moved deeper into the city they saw the everyday lives of its citizens. People sitting outside cafes with drinks, shopping in stores selling everything from Death-themed merchandise to fresh produce. Tourists could be seen here and there, taking pictures or admiring the sights.

"So many people. How can they all live here at once?" Rose wondered aloud.

"Not every world is like ours." Misuto reminded her.

"I know that." Rose said "It's just so different."

Despite the long uphill hike, neither of them were tired yet. It wasn't long before they found themselves facing the enormous stairs that lead to the DWMA. They stared at them a moment before accepting the challenge. It quickly became a race to see who could make it to the top first. At first it seemed an even game, but Misuto started to pant and fall behind. Rose reached the top about 10 seconds ahead of him. He was breathing hard, but Rose seemed barely winded.

"You always were faster than me." Misuto huffed as he fell to his knees on the top stair. Rose grinned victoriously. Then she turned around.

"Whoa. Misuto, Look." He turned his head at her words. They both gawked at the magnificent view of the city laid out before them. Their awe was interrupted by shout.

"GOOD MORNING PUNY HUMANS! YOUR GODDESS HAS BLESSED YOU WITH HER PRESENCE. THAT'S RIGHT, IT IS I, PINK*STAR." Someone was standing on one of the DWMA building's many giant red spikes, and was currently shouting her head off.

Rose and Misuto looked around at the voice.

"What in Darkness is that?" Misuto asked. As he did so the spike began to crack from the added weight, and the figure fell with it to the ground.

"I hope she's ok." Rose said. Someone giggled behind her.

"Don't worry she's fine. She does this every morning. Just like her father used to." Rose turned around. The speaker was woman of around 30. She had ash-blonde hair tied up in pigtails, and was wearing a yellow sweater, a red skirt, and a long back trench coat. The woman held out her hand. "My name's Maka Evans, I'm a teacher here at the DWMA."

Rose took it and they shook hands. "I'm Rose Bennett."

Misuto stood up and introduced himself with a bow.

Maka smiled and shook his hand. "Are you two new students?"

"Yes, we just got here." Rose replied.

"Welcome to Death City. I'm glad to meet both of you. You'll have fun here, trust me."

"What kind of classes do you teach?" Misuto asked.

"I teach the two-star EAT Meisters." Maka answered. "That's the like senor class at high school. Are either of you weapons?"

"I am." Misuto volunteered.

"I'm not." Rose said.

"So a weapon and a Meister. Are you partners?" Maka asked.

"I guess so." Rose said. "We don't really know what that means yet."

"Well you'll find out. But I think you are partners. In fact." She closed her eyes and then opened them again after a second. "Oh my Death."

"Something wrong?" Misuto asked, his voice suddenly worried.

"No, it's nothing." Maka said reassuringly "Anyway I think you two will be great partners. I can sense your Souls are already in Harmony."

"Harmony?" Rose asked.

"It's when two Souls are linked and can work together." Maka explained. "In the case of a Weapon and Meister, it means that the two can fight together, and maybe even achieve Soul Resonance. But you'll find out more in your first class."

"Um, ok." Rose said. "Oh, we need to get to orientation!" She remembered.

"Down the first hall, third door on the left." Maka supplied helpfully.

"Thank you." Misuto said and turned to go.

"Hey, Rose, can I talk to you a second?" Maka asked. Misuto turned back, looking unsure at Rose.

"Go on ahead Misuto." Rose said "I'll catch up in a minute."

"Ok." Misuto glanced back at them before hurrying into the cool interior of the DWMA

"You can see my Soul right?" Rose asked Maka. The older woman nodded.

"So Misuto doesn't know?" Maka asked.

"No, at least I don't think so." Rose replied. "Are there other people who can see Souls here?"

"Yep. But don't worry, I'll talk to them. You can tell people when you're ready." Maka smiled reassuringly.

"Thanks Mrs Evans." Rose said, also smiling.

"It's nothing. And please, call me Maka."

"Ok, thank you Maka." Rose said, then waved and ran off to join Misuto.

* * *

 **Well here it is. If you haven't read my previous fic (renamed Kingdom Eater: Bits and Pieces) it gives some background on our heroes, Rose and Misuto. Oh yeah, this is based mostly on the Soul Eater anime canon, but I will steal some details from the manga. This is going to a long story and hopefully the first of a trilogy. I'm going to try and update it every week. Any feedback would be great.**


	2. Chapter 2

Rose caught up with Misuto just outside the Orientation Hall.

"Everything ok?" Misuto asked.

"Yeah, it's fine." Rose answered. "Shall we go inside?"

Misuto looked at her questioning for a moment, before shrugging and nodding. They walked into the room together. It was a fairly large room without any furnishing. 10 or 15 other students were already inside, a few talking, but most were standing quietly or nervously fidgeting. At the front of the room was a small wooden podium with stacks of tags reading 'WEAPON' or 'MEISTER.' Standing behind the podium was a tall lean man with shoulder-length blonde hair and hard almost intimidating eyes. He wore a white collard shirt and a khaki trench coat draped over his shoulders like a cloak. On his back was case full of swords, a forest of handles visible over his shoulder.

The man glanced at his watch then cleared his throat. It wasn't a loud noise, but the whole room turn their attention to him at once.

"Welcome to the Death Weapon Meister Academy. My name is Mifune and I'll be your instructor from today. As you may know, students here at the DWMA are split into teams of a Weapon and a Meister. A Weapon and Meister train together in order to keep peace in this world. They are to be partners for a lifetime, they must lean on each other and each protect the other even in the hardest of times. "

Rose glanced at Misuto and he smiled at her. His hand reached out and griped hers.

"Hopefully each of you will have a partner by the days end." Mifune continued "If you haven't already picked up a tag you can so in a moment. As this is your first year you are all NOT students. This means that you will not go out on missions under ordinary circumstances. On the other hand you have more free time and easier classes."

A few students laughed.

"But don't let that stop from striving to improve yourselves and make it to the EAT class. Plenty of students are advanced after only a year in the NOT classes. We even had one student a few years ago who was promoted to EAT on her very first day. Which reminds me. Duels between students are allowed on the school grounds at anytime but a teacher has be around to supervise. So let me know if you intend to get in a fight. In a moment I'll let you go to find a partner and get acquainted with him or her. But first we're going to have a short demonstration from a two-star Weapon-Meister pair. Would you come in here please?"

The door opened and two people came in. They both looked about 17. One was girl with white hair, olive-green eyes and a shark-toothed grin. The other was a boy with ash-blonde hair and crimson red eyes. There was something very familiar about them, and after a second Rose realized that these two must be related to professor Maka.

"Please introduce yourselves."

"I'm Tetsu, Scythe-Meister." The boy said, then nudged his partner, who was in the middle of a yawn.

"And I'm Banshee, I'm a weapon."

"You can start." Mifune told the pair. Banshee nodded and in a flash of blue light transformed into a scythe with a huge blade decorated with black and red zig-zags. Tetsu snatched her out of the air and began to spin the Weapon in her hands. The students backed against the walls. Testu spun the Weapon faster and fast and dropped his hands. Banshee continued to move on her own.

"Remember that a Weapon and Meister work as team. Banshee is a person, not an object." Mifune commented

"If you can learn to work together and link your Souls, then fighting together is as natural as breathing." Testu told the class.

With a diagonal movement of his hand, Tetsu changed the direction of the spin, and soon his partner was moving too fast to see and Testu was surrounded by a razor sharp wind. The crowed of students gasped as the wind lifted Tetsu clear off the ground and he hovered in midair for a moment. Then he grabbed Banshee and made four slashes almost too fast to see before his feet found the floor. They left a square of light in the air for a moment. Tetsu made on last 360 sweep with his Weapon partner then stopped with the scythe help in both hands vertically in front of him

The students cheered and clapped. Banshee transformed back into her human form, and the partners bowed appreciatively. As the two exited the classroom Mifune spoke again.

"Hopefully that gave you a better understanding of what it means to be partners. You'll learn more as classes continue. That's all for today, come and pick up a tag if you haven't done so." The students began to file out of the room, some stopping to put on a Weapon or a Meister tag. Rose and Misuto looked at each other.

"Want to be partners?" Rose asked. Misuto grinned.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." He said. Rose smiled back at him, and the two made their way outside.

"I guess we have the rest of the day off." Rose said, looking around at the city stretching around them. "Let's get lost and learn our way around."

"Sounds like a plan."

They are soon deep in Death City's winding cobble streets. They come across a small square with an abstract fountain in the center and decide to take a seat at the benches.

Rose caught a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye. Turning around she finds a shadow Heartless, claws and antenna twitching, staring at them with its beady yellow-glowing eyes. Misuto had spotted it too. He stared, his face frozen in fear.

"Rose. Why are the Heartless here?" He asked.

"I have no idea. But we can't let Darkness have a foothold in this world."

"You're right. Let's get rid of it." They stand up, Misuto shaking slightly. Then in a flash of yellow light he assumes his Keyblade form and Rose snatches him out of the air and takes a combative stance, waiting. The shadow leaps towards them, claws reaching for them, but Rose was ready for it and with an upward jab the shadow dissolves into black and purple mist.

"Are you ok?" Rose asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine." Misuto assures her. More shadows appear from the ground in a circle around them. Rose hesitates as they close in.

"Behind you!" Misuto says. Rose turns around just in time to step aside as three shadows leap at her. They land on the ground and stare unseeingly at the space where Rose was a second ago. Rose's dodge took her to the edge of the circle and two more Heartless slash at her. She blocks both attacks and sweeps Mistuo in a wide arc, destroying four Heartless at once. The rest close in and all leap on her at once.

"Thunder!" The spell causes a circle of small lighting bolts that rain down around her dissolving all but one shadow whose leap takes it into Rose's last overhead swing.

But the pair don't have time to rest as 6 solider heartless portal in in a line, landing on the ground with a loud clanking. Almost in sync the Heartless lean back before leaping toward them with a spinning kick. Rose raises Misuto high over her head.

"Defense!" she shouts, and a spherical barrier appears around her. All six Heartless crash into the barrier and bounce off, a split second later they are sent flying back by the orbs of the re-directed energy the Reflect spell spits back at them.

The soldiers get up and start to regroup, but Rose is too quick for them and dashes forward, taking them out one or two at a time with quick jabs and slashes. Soon all that's left is a cloud of black and purple mist.

"I think that's all of them." Rose says. But behind her, a much larger Heartless portaled in.

 **I told you I'd update every week. XD This is kinda' late. It's already tomorrow for some of you. Anyway this chapter is a little longer than the last and I'm hoping to keep it that way. It also features the first of many fight scenes. I've not written many of those before so please tell me how I did.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Shrouding Dark Cloud: Kingdom Hearts (1.5).**

With a loud crash the Heartless fell to the ground in pieces, but they quickly assembled themselves into a humanoid shape.

"I guess that's their leader." Misuto said.

The Heartless looked like a large suit of armor. Quivering helmet, cylindrical chest piece, clawed gauntlets, and heavy boots, all black and decorated with white bones. Beady yellow eyes glared at them from the sockets of the skull painted on the helmet. The Bone Armor clanked toward them, each step making a miniature shockwave.

Rose jumped high, avoiding the shockwaves and landed behind the giant Heartless. It turned its head to find her, then reversed its limbs and clanked toward her again. This time it swiped at her with its claws, and Rose blocked, then retaliated with a quick uppercut that sent the skull-helmet flying. The Heartless groped around for its head while Rose unleashed a mid air combo, Misuto clanking against its metallic body. The Bone Armor found its head and whirled its claws around it, sending Rose flying back.

"I don't think physical attacks are much help." Misuto speculated. "We didn't even put a scratch on it."

"I'll try magic then." Rose decided. "Fire!"

Rose sent three fireballs flying toward the Heartless. It raised a gauntlet to defend itself, and it blocked all three attacks. But the bone-covered hand turned red-hot and a second later melted away from the combined energy of the three spells. The Bone Armor stared at its ruined gauntlet for a moment, then it clanked toward her again.

"Blizzard!" Rose froze the ground under the Heartless, causing it to slip and fall to pieces.

"Thunder!" Lightning bolts struck the downed Armor and one of its boots dissolved into black and purple mist. The other pieces floated into the air and started acting independently. The boot stomping along, making more shockwaves, the gauntlet slashing wildly, and the head and torso spinning together creating a small vortex.

"Focus on the small pieces" Misuto advised.

"Got it." Rose moved forward, but dodged to the side, and circled around the torso. The gauntlet floated toward her, but she was ready for it.

"Stop!" The gauntlet froze, temporarily halted in time, and Rose landed several heavy blows with Misuto, finishing with another Fire spell. The time magic wore off and the gauntlet shook for a second before dissolving.

The Bone Armor began to reassemble itself. As it did so, it regenerated its missing boot. Though it was now down both gauntlets, it wasn't giving up yet. It jumped high into the air and came down with a loud crash and a powerful shockwave that sent Rose sprawling to the ground. She rolled aside as the Heartless tried to stop on her, and got back up.

Undaunted, Rose leaped back a few feet, gathering energy for another spell.

"Wind!" A vortex of air appeared around the Heartless. The razor sharp wind gouged long scratches in the Armor. It stopped, confused by the blows that seemed to be coming from every angle. Rose charged forward, unleashing another barrage of fire spells. This time both boots melted. The Armor was left with only its torso and head, which immediately started spinning again.

"Thundara!" One large lighting bolt struck the Heartless, and it froze in place for a moment, yellow electricity dancing up and down what was left of its body. Rose swung Misuto in another uppercut, again knocking the helmet off of the torso. This time she followed up with a Blizzard, then a leaping aerial combo. The helmet dissolved into Darkness and as Rose landed on the ground, the torso followed suit.

They heard someone applauding behind them. Then the clacking of something mechanical. Rose turned around to find a tall, lanky man in a stitched lab coat. He was turning an enormous screw that ran through his head. In a flash of light Misuto returned to his human form.

"That was very well done." The man said, continuing to turn the screw in his head.

"Thank you" Rose said. "But uh, who are you?"

The man seemed to have found the correct adjustment for the screw in his head for he stopped turning it and lit a cigarette before answering. "My name is Dr. Franken Stein. I'm a teacher at the DWMA. And I take it you are new students?"

"It's our first day, yes." Misuto told him.

"NOT students I suppose?" Stein asked, taking a long drag on his cigarette.

"For now." Rose said. "But we're gonna' change that."

"I'm glad you think so." Stein blew out a long puff of smoke that somehow formed itself into a skull. "In fact, you two would be wasted in the NOT class. So I think you should be moved to the EAT class starting right now."

"Are you serious? Can you do that?" Misuto asked. He and Rose glanced at each other, surprised.

"I will suggest it to Lord Death." Stein answered. "You can count on it."

"Thank you!" Rose exclaimed. "When does class start?"

Stein glanced at a nearby clock tower. "In half an hour. I'll take you to see Lord Death first." Stein turned away and started toward the school.

Rose and Misuto glanced at each other again, excitedly. Then they followed him.

...

A few minutes later the three of them were walking down the long corridor lined with guillotines. Stein was in the lead, Rose and Misuto walking slightly behind him. They were staring around, awed by apparently outdoor space deep beneath the DWMA and also slightly nervous at the numerous sharp blades hanging above them. They gripped hands again.

"So what's Lord Death like?" Misuto asked, clearly trying to break the tension.

Stein considered for a moment. "Well for a Death God he's very close to us mortals. But he is still very devoted to his role." Stein glanced back at them.

"You might consider combing your hair." He said looking up at Misuto's untidy spikes.

"I've tried, it doesn't make a difference." Misuto shrugged. "So he's not high and mighty?"

"Oh not at all." Stein said, stubbing out his cigarette. "He used to be a student at the DWMA in fact.

"Really?" Rose asked. "But why would he need to?"

"He wanted to. He's actually Lord Death II, you see." Stein told them as they approached the platform at the end of the path. "Lord Death." He addressed the figure on the stone.

The figure was wearing a black cloak that was shredded at the hem. Beneath it was a formal black suit with a silver skull broach. His skin was pale and his eyes a striking yellow. His hair was black and had three white strips running all the way around it.

"Professor Stein." Said Lord Death "And who are these two?"

"Two new students, sir. A Meister and Weapon, Rose and Misuto." Stein told him.

"Pleased to meet you, Lord Death." Rose and Misuto both bowed politely.

"There's no need to be so formal. Please call me Death the Kidd."* Kidd assured them, smiling. "What can I do for you, Professor?"

"I encountered this two students out in the city. They were able to defeat those creatures that have been prowling the streets." Stein said.

"They're called Heartless." Misuto volunteered. "I'm a Keyblade, which is the only weapon that can permanently destroy them."

"That explains why they've been so troublesome." Kidd said thoughtfully. "What else can you tell me about them?"

"They are made of Darkness" Rose explained "they can't think or plan, they just attack on instinct. They will steal Hearts from people and drag them into Darkness. Every Heart that succumbs to Darkness becomes another Heartless."

Kidd froze. "So every victim they claim increased their number? That is indeed bad news."

"We'll gladly help you get rid of them." Misuto said, a slight quiver in his voice. Rose gripped his hand again.

"I would very much appreciate that." Kidd said "But are you sure you're up for it? You haven't even been here one day."

"We've been doing it a long time, almost all our lives." Rose said, grinning.

"That alone would merit, promotion to EAT." Stein broke in "Which is why I brought them here in the first place. But not only the regular, Heartless you called them? They also defeated the large armor Heartless that Black*Star's been having so much trouble with."

"Is that so?" Kidd looked shock for a moment, but then his expression became serious. "Very well. You are now EAT students, and you will work with the Three-Star Meisters to eliminate this threat."

"We're honored, sir." Rose said. Misuto nodded.

"But that's for later, you two should get to class." Kidd glanced at a clock "You'll be a little late, but no matter. Classroom Mars."

"Thank you." Misuto said. And the two of them hurried off.

...

When Rose and Misuto had left, Kidd turned to Stein and said.

"That girl's Soul. I'm sure you noticed it, Stein."

"I did." Stein answered. "And so did Maka. But Maka says that Rose wants to keep it quiet, for now."

"I suppose we must respect her wishes then." Kidd decided. "Even so, it won't be long before someone lets the cat out of the bag. Who would have thought there could be another?"

 **Chapter 3, yay! I've been sick, yay! But I'm better now. Anyone figure out what Rose is yet? If you need another hint, please check out Kingdom Eater: Bits and Pieces. It's a short prequel and provides some background about Rose and Misuto, mostly Misuto. Please leave a review if you've figured out the mystery, or with any comment at all.**

 ***Yes, I spell Death the Kidd with two D's. I just like how it looks. XD**


	4. Chapter 4

**Something I meant to do last chapter is suggest music for this series' "boss fights". I've edited the chapter to include that, and they will be in future chapters with major battles. Including this one. (Just the name of the track and the source, I'd rather not mess around with hyperlinks)**

As Rose and Misuto approached classroom Mars, they spotted a tall boy leaning on the wall beside the classroom door. He had blonde hair and as they approached, his eyes opened revealing the same striking yellow as Death the Kidd.

"Hello." Rose said, smiling politely. "Are you an EAT student too?"

The boy grunted noncommittally. Then he did a double-take. "You're- Uh, yeah I am. You guys new?"

Rose nodded and she and Misuto introduced themselves.

"I'm Angel." The boy said "Angel of Death."*

"You must be Lord Death's son." Misuto observed.

"Yeah, I must be." Angel grunted, looking away.

"We should go inside." Rose said "Class has already started."

"Whatever, you go. I'd rather not be here." Angel replied, still not looking at them.

Rose's expression shifted to one of mild annoyance. "School is important, even for you. Your dad was a student here."

"And that was his choice." Angel looked at her, also annoyed "He can't make it for me, and neither can you."

Rose suddenly grinned, mischievously. "Watch me." She grabbed Angel by the ear and dragged him toward the door.

"Hey, what are you- get off me!" Angel yelled, trying to pull free of her grip, and failing. "Alright, I'll go!"

Rose let go of him, still grinning. She opened the door and the three of them stepped inside, Angel rubbing his ear where she had pinched it. The class room was large and fan-shaped. Seats rose in a half circle around the teachers desk. Most of the seats were filled by students sitting in pairs. Behind the desk stood a man with white hair and blood red eyes. He grinned at the sight of them, revealing sharp teeth. The effect was rather shark-like.

"Hey, Angel. Kidd finally convince you to go to class?" The man asked.

"Yeah, whatever." Angel said, not looking at him. The man just grinned wider.

"And you two are new students eh?" He asked, looking at Rose and Misuto.

"Yes, Lord Death sent us here. I'm Rose, Meister." Rose said, slightly unsettled by the shark-mans gaze.

"I'm Misuto, her partner. It's actually our first day." Misuto chimed in

"Promoted to EAT on the first day, cool." I'm Soul Eater, your new teacher. But call me Soul. Take a seat anywhere you can find one, class is about to start."

Rose and Misuto both nodded and started up the stairs to find seats. Angel took a seat in the far corner and stared out of the window. Rose and Misuto ended more or less in the middle of the room. To their left was a boy wearing a heavy fur coat with slicked brown hair and a scowl on his face. To their right was black-hair girl wearing a metal chest plate and metal bracers. On the chest plate was a red drawing of a wolf. Directly in front of Rose and Misuto was another girl. This girl was wearing black sleeveless shirt with a large collar and two ribbons trailing off like scarves. She had a spiky mane of pink hair, and for some reason kept glancing back at Rose and Misuto with a challenging glare.

"Afternoon guys. Welcome back to class. First day of term is always the most boring isn't it?" Soul asked the class. Some of them nodded. "For those that don't know, I'm Soul Eater, but call me Soul. We have a lot of new faces this year, the DWMA is running an exchange program with its other branches. We have students in this class from the European, South American, and Oceania branches. So if you're part of the program, welcome to Death City. Everyone else, make our guests feel cool.

As you're all EAT students," Soul continued "your objective is gather 99 Kishin Eggs and 1 Witch Soul to create a Death Scythe. This isn't as easy as it used to be. We're at peace with the Witches' Council, so we can't just hunt whatever witch we like. But don't give up, there are still plenty of rogue witches that the Council has asked us to take care of."

Most of the class looked bored, some weren't even paying attention. Soul grinned again.

"Looks like most of you are already bored, well so am I. Let's do some practical work. Most of you already have a basic understanding of Soul Studies, so I'm not going to waste this term making you do book work. Let's go outside, where we've got more room." Soul stood up and walked to the classroom door.

The students followed suit, walking in pairs, talking excitedly. Rose and Misuto glanced at each other.

"I guess we have some catching up to do." Rose said. Misuto nodded.

They followed the rest of the class out of the classroom and through the winding corridors and staircases of the DWMA. After a few minutes the class filed out of a large door and found themselves in a large forest tucked away behind the school.

"A forest?" Rose and Misuto said together.

"Who'd of thought we find a forest in the middle of the desert." Rose wondered.

Soul led them a short way into the trees before stopping and addressing the class. "You guys know the drill. Duel, practice with your partner, try Soul Resonance, whatever. Class ends when the bell rings. Anyone need help, let me know, I'll be around."

The class filtered out into the forest in twos and fours. Rose felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around and came face to face with the pink-haired girl that had been staring at them in class. Now that Rose was seeing her face-on she noticed that the girl had a large tattoo or birth mark of a star on her face, framing her right eye. The effect was intimidating.

"I hear you're the new kids in the class." The girl said, still glaring at them

"Uh, yes. I'm Rose." Rose answered, confused by the girl's aggressive attitude.

"I'm Misuto her partner." Misuto said, turning around at the voice.

"My name is Pink*Star, and I'm the best student in the academy. I'm going to surpass my father." Pink*Star declared. "But if I'm gonna' do that I can't have anyone show me up."

"What did we do to you?" Misuto asked, wearily.

"You guys are the first students since me to make EAT on their first day." Pink*Star told them, glaring even fiercer than before. "And for that I'm gonna' beat you to a pulp!"

"Hey, there's no need to be rude!" Rose exclaimed.

"I think she means it." Misuto said, then he transformed, and Rose snatched him out of the air.

"I won't lose to you!" Pink*Star vowed, taking a combative stance.

"Where's your partner?" Rose asked.

"I don't have one. Doesn't matter, I can beat you with my bare hands." Pink*Star replied.

Soul watched from beneath a nearby tree. He knew this was going to happen, and he didn't intend to miss a second of it.

 **Rawk Hawk battle music: Paper Mario and the Thousand Year Door**

"Speed Star!" Pink*Star shouted. Then she disappeared. Rose looked around in confusion as Pink*Star circled her at blinding speed.

Rose turned around, and blocked just as Pink*Star slowed down enough to launch a kick. Pink*Star jumped back but came in again, throwing punches at blinding speed. Rose ducked and swept Misuto in an arc at Pink*Star's feet. The assassin jumped and landed behind her target. Rose rolled forward and turned around in time to block a two-footed kick from Pink*Star, who was now doing a handstand.

"Stop holding back!" Pink*Star yelled, before flipping back onto her feet.

"You asked for it." Rose said. "Protect!"

Pink*Star's elbow glanced off the magical shield and the assassin was knocked flying the re-directed energy. She quickly recovered.

"You can use magic. That might make this less boring." Pink*Star commented. She had to duck then jump aside as Rose cast three Fire spells at her. She recovered and ran at Rose again, hands covered in energy. She struck with both of them.

"Pink*Star Tsunami!" Rose had block the attack, but it still sent her flying back.

"That, hurt." Misuto said.

"She attacked with her Soul, I think." Rose said, getting up. But Pink*Star was already in front of her. Rose blocked again, predicting the assassin's kick. This time she grabbed Pink*Star's ankle and threw her to the right. Pink*Star crashed into a tree, but got up again.

"I'm not through yet!" She yelled, before taking off at blinding speed. Rose was ready for it though.

"Freeze!" With a Blizzard spell, the ground around her froze, and Pink*Star slipped on the ice and smashed into another tree.

"She's tough." Misuto observed, as Pink*Star got up again, seemingly unharmed. Pink*Star grabbed the tree with both hands and ripped it our of the ground. Then she threw it at Rose.

Rose held Misuto vertically out in front of her and sliced the tree in half as it approached, the two pieces missing her on either side.

"Thundaga!" Rose casts the spell between herself and Pink*Star just as the assassin started to run at blinding speed again. The clearing was suddenly filled with pillars of yellow lightning. Pink*Star weaved between them, but Rose stuck out her foot and Pink*Star tripped, and yelled as the Thundaga spell made contact. The assassin's body was bathed in electricity, but Pink*Star managed to roll out of its area and stand up shakily.

"Are you ok?" Rose asked, fearing she had gone too far. But Pink*Star moved even faster than before, and hit Rose with her Soul Wavelength again. Rose fell the ground at the exactly the same time as Pink*Star. They both lay for a moment, breathing hard, before jumping back up and staring at each other.

"That's enough." Came a voice from the edge of the clearing. It was Soul. "Any more you and guys are gonna' kill yourselves."

"No way, I'm not done yet!" Pink*Star yelled.

Soul scowled at her. "I'm the teacher, I referee this fight. I say you're when you're done, and you're done."

"Well who won then?" Pink*Star demanded.

"Neither of you is clearly stronger. Pink*Star has more endurance, but without a weapon partner, you're too limited in your attack options." Soul said, then he looked at Rose. "Rose your magic is powerful, and you must be fast to keep up with Pink*Star, but you're too complacent. She accused you of holding back, and she's right, you weren't treating it like a fight. You just sat there and blocked her attacks for most of it. You have a strong defense, but you shouldn't rely on it. One day you're gonna' face an opponent who can break through."

"It wasn't a real fight." Rose argued. "I didn't want to kill Pink*Star." Misuto turned back into his human form, with a slight sigh.

"An attitude like that is going to get you killed here." Soul said, with the first serious look she had ever seen on his face. "There are no practice fights. Pink*Star certainly wasn't holding back, and she's strong enough to kill most students here. Holding back is a bad habit, and it may cost you or your partner your life in the field."

Rose said nothing, but she looked defiant, and Soul knew that he had not convinced her. He shrugged.

"In my judgment this fight is a tie." Soul said, now grinning at Pink*Star.

The pink-hair assassin was silent for a moment. Rose wondered if the proud Meister would be able to stand for anything less than total victory.

"Fine then." Pink*Star said. "But I'm gonna' get even stronger, so do think this is over."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Rose said, grinning. Pink*Star grinned back. Then turned and disappeared into the trees.

"You should take the rest of the day off." Soul said "You've been busy."

"I'm fine." Rose said, but then she looked at Misuto, who was still panting, and was covered in cuts and bruises from their many fights that day. "Yeah, you're right."

"One of the perks of being an EAT student is having a private apartment." Soul told her "Go see the receptionist for the key."

Rose nodded, and she and Misuto's set off back toward the school.

 **I don't have a beta, so please let me know if I've made any spelling or grammatical errors. My plan is post every Sunday (Pacific Standard Time) but I'm going to be busy this weekend and I'll post chapter 5 on Friday.**

 ***Angel isn't my OC, I'm using him with the very kind permission of UlixesEmotion, go check out her stuff. Without her ideas and feedback, this fic would not exists.**


	5. Chapter 5

The next day found Rose and Misuto in the DWMA's massive library. They had gone straight to their classroom, but Soul had informed them that they had been assigned a crash course in Soul Studies, which would be taught during the morning period in the library by a special tutor. So the young Weapon-Meister pair were currently glancing around the library looking for their tutor, who Soul had said was impossible to miss.

He was right about the tutor being impossible to miss. In a far corner they spotted a man sitting at a table piled with books, and waving them over. The man was wearing an odd assortment of clothes. He wore a brown collared shirt, dark green vest, brown formal pants, and a white bow tie. Rather than a jacket, he was wearing a white lab coat over all of this. He had large round glasses and a top hat over his short blonde hair. His eyes were a pleasant honey color, and in spite of his odd clothes he seemed warm and friendly. He stood up as they approached, and offered his hand.

"Hello, I'm Henry Stein, but please call me Jekyll." He said, smiling. Rose and Misuto both smiled and shook his hand. He indicated that they should sit down and they took the two seats opposite him.

"So promoted to EAT on your first day? Everyone's talking about it." Jekyll told them. "You're the first since Pink*Star."

"Yes we found out, shortly before she tried to kill us." Rose said, in a slightly exasperated tone. Jekyll laughed.

"I'm sure she challenged you to a duel as soon as she could." He said, still laughing.

"Yes, she did." Misuto confirmed.

"How did you do against her?" Jekyll asked

"Soul declared the fight a tie." Rose told him.

"That's better than I did." Jekyll commented. Then at the confused look on the two students faces he continued "That's how she got promoted on her first day, by beating me in a duel. I was a two-star Meister at the time."

"Somehow, I'm not surprised she got into a fight on her first day." Rose said, grinning.

"Yes, she does take after her father that way. But on to business. I'm here to get you two caught up on Soul Studies. These books." He pointed at the large stack on the desk. "Are all the ones we have on the subject. We should be able to get through all of them in a month or two."

Rose and Misuto looked shocked and slightly intimidated, but Jekyll smiled reassuringly.

"Don't worry, its not a difficult subject, especially for students who scored as high as you did on the school's entrance exams. And you'll find practical examples of every principle right here at the DWMA. Soul Studies is an applied subject, and we'll be doing as much field work as reading."

The Weapon-Meister pair looked a bit relieved at that. Jekyll picked up the top book on the pile.

"We'll start with the most basic of course." He glanced down at the book, and frowned. "How did that get there?" He tossed aside a book titled _Excalibur_. Misuto glanced after it curiously.

"Believe me, you don't want to go there." Jekyll told him seriously. He picked up the next book and opened it. "That's the book I was looking for. Now we have a motto here at the DWMA, and it sums up one subdivision of Soul Studies. It's a motto that students here live by." He pointed at the first page of the book and recited.

"A sound Soul dwells within a sound Mind, and a Sound Body."

…..

Meanwhile in the forest behind the school, while most of the Soul's students were practicing or dueling, Pink*Star was moving silently from tree to tree, searching for one particular student. Pink*Star didn't have Soul Perception, but she was trained in the Way of the Assassin, and was fairly good at tracking people. Normal people anyway. Death Gods were another matter.

Finally she located her quarry. Angel of Death was sitting against a tree, his eyes closed, seemingly asleep. But Pink*Star knew that Angel was wide awake and listening for the sound of people approaching.

"You can come out now, Pink*Star." Angel said, opening his gold-ringed eyes that were so like his father's.

Pink*Star frowned and jumped out of her tree, landing on the ground beside the young Reaper.

"How did you know I was there? I wasn't even breathing."

"I don't need my eyes open to use Soul Perception." Angel told the assassin, not bothering to get up from his sitting position. "What do you want?"

"I want you to be my Weapon partner." Pink*Star said confidently.

"You've been going here a year without taking on a partner. Why now?" Angel asked.

"An ordinary Weapon is no good for a star like me. If I'm going to surpass my dad, I need an extra-special Weapon. And a Weapon who's also a Reaper is just the Weapon I need."

"And what makes you think I'm a weapon?" Angel asked, looking away from the pink-haired Meister.

"Your mom's a weapon." Pink*Star reasoned.

"So is Jekyll's." Angel said. "And both of Tetsu's. Yet neither of them inherited their parent's weapon blood. Why should I be any different?"

"We've all heard the rumors. This isn't the first time you've been asked, Plus I've seen pictures of you transforming. My mom has some she got from Liz." Pink*Star told him.

"Maybe I don't want a partner. Maybe I'd rather be autonomous, like Justin. He's never had a partner, and he became a Death-Scythe at 13." Angel was still not looking at Pink*Star.

"Too bad for you then. You will be my Weapon, Angel. I'm not going to give up." Pink*Star jumped back into the treetops, and went off to train. Angel watched her go, expressionlessly. Then he closed his eyes again.

…

A few weeks later Rose and Misuto were practicing in the forest behind the school again.

"Is Soul ever going to give us book work?" Rose wondered aloud

"Probably not. But we have enough of it from Jekyll." Misuto answered.

"At least we're almost finished." Rose said. "Want to try Soul Resonance again?"

"Yeah, we probably should." Misuto transformed and Rose caught him.

Rose closed her eyes and reached out with her Soul. She felt the thread of their connection created by their Harmony, and followed it. She found Misuto had done the same, and their Souls had met half-way. But she seemed to see him through a haze, and they struggled to increase their Resonance rate. Rose would pass Soul Waves along their connection, but when Misuto passed them back they didn't feel amplified at all. The same thing had happened every time they tried to Resonate.

Finally, after 10 minutes both Souls retreated.

"Why isn't it working?" Misuto said out loud, frustrated, and returning to human form.

"I don't know." Rose said. "Are you sure you're amplifying my Soul Waves?"

"Yes I am. But it feels like you're holding back. The Soul Waves you give me are faint, I can barely sense them. I know you're not weak, but I don't understand what the problem is." Misuto answered.

"I'm not holding back..." Rose said, she looked downcast. Misuto's expression softened.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap like that. I'm just annoyed with myself is all." He reassured her.

"Give it some time." A voice said from the edge of the clearing. It was Soul. "Maka and I took more than a year to Resonance properly."

"Really?" Rose asked.

"Yeah, for real. We got super angry about it too, that's when she first hit me with a book." Soul smiled as though being hit with a book was a fond memory for him. "Anyway, if you want I can have Maka come into class tomorrow and watch you guys try to Resonance with her Soul Perception. She might be able to see what you're doing wrong."

"I can see Souls too though." Rose persisted.

"Yeah, but trust me, her perspective will help." Soul said

"We've be glad of it." Misuto told him.

"In the meantime there are things you can do that might help." Soul said, grinning.

"Like what?" Rose asked

"Doing things together. Dancing or holding hands, or going to dinner. Things like that." Rose and Misuto both blushed, and Soul grinned even wider.

"We'll, think about it." Misuto said after a minute.

…

The next morning they were in the library with Jekyll, as had become routine.

"Soul Force: The name given to a wide variety of techniques that a Meister uses to attack directly with his or her Soul Wavelength without the aid of a weapon." Rose read aloud.

"A difficult technique." Jekyll commented. "Not many Meisters can do it. But it is useful if you suddenly find yourself without a weapon."

"Didn't Pink*Star do that?" Misuto asked, recalling their fight with the pink-haired assassin.

"Yes, like her father, Pink*Star has learned to harness her considerable wavelength without a weapon, and at a very young age." Jekyll confirmed. "My father uses Soul Force as his primary method of attack in most cases, even with a Weapon. But it makes sense for him, his control over his wavelength is so fine that can wield any weapon, regardless of its Wavelength."

"What about you?" Misuto asked. Jekyll smiled.

"Well I should say that I used it because I do. You see, I've never once wielded a Weapon." He told them. Rose and Misuto's jaws both dropped.

"But you're a Meister, right, graduated from the DWMA?" Rose asked, bewildered.

"Yes." Jekyll answered. "But I've never needed a partner. I can make my own weapons. Watch."

He held out his hand, and Rose watched with her Soul Perception as she molded his Soul Wavelength and formed a dagger of dark green energy in the palm of his hand. He gripped it, and then threw it, where it impaled into the shelf of a bookcase.

"I call it Soul Blades." Jekyll told his astonished audience. Then he seemed to come to a decision.

"Let's go outside, I'm going to teach both you how to better control your Soul Wavelength. I doubt if you'll be able to learn Soul Blades, but Rose I think you can learn Soul Force."

"Might help with our Resonance" Misuto deiced, also standing up. Rose, still slightly shocked, did the same.

 **Like I said last chapter I'm uploading early this week as I'm busy over the weekend. I also made two small, but significant changes to the last chapter. My editing is an ongoing process, as I don't have a beta. So small tweaks will be made to past chapters. Most of these are fixing spelling or grammar errors, but if there is anything major, I'll let you know.**

 **Anyway, yay chapter 5! This is by far my longest fic, and I'm just getting warmed up.**


	6. Chapter 6

Later, on the training grounds Rose and Misuto were practicing Soul Resonance again. As usual they were having difficulties.

"Why won't it work?" Misuto asked, pacing up and down in frustration, glaring at the trees.

"Maybe...Maybe our Souls aren't compatible." Rose said, looking at the floor.

"I don't buy that." Misuto answered "If that were the case you couldn't wield me at all." He stopped pacing and looked her with a softened expression. "Rose, the only people I trust to wield me are you and my parents. You know that."

"I know." She said, looking up at him.

"But why can't we Resonate?" Misuto asked again.

"Maybe I can help with that." Said a voice. The Weapon-Meister pair looked up. Maka was standing at the edge of the clearing.

"Hello." Rose said, smiling at the sight of her.

"Hi." Maka replied, also smiling. "Soul told me you guys are having trouble Resonating."

"Yes, we are." Misuto said, uncertainly.

"Why don't you guys try again, and I'll watch with my Soul Perception." Maka suggested.

Misuto nodded and transformed. Rose caught him and they she reached out along their Harmony. As always there seemed to be a wall between them, Misuto's Soul Waves seemed distant and muffled. After a moment of trying, they gave up and Misuto returned to his human form.

Maka considered a moment before speaking. "You know Misuto, getting angry at yourself isn't helping." Misuto frowned but said nothing.

Maka continued "You're expecting too much of yourselves. Resonance isn't something that happens overnight. Plenty of Weapon-Meister pairs can't do it at all. For most that can, it can take years."

"We've already been friends a long time. I've been wielding Misuto in battle against the Heartless for two years." Rose explained.

"But you didn't understand the bond you shared until you came here." Maka said. Then she paused. "Misuto, I think I saw another pair of students that needed help. Could you go tell Soul for me?"

Misuto glanced at Rose. Rose could tell that he wasn't fooled, but he left anyway. When the Keyblade was out of earshot Maka spoke again.

"I'm sure you've figured out the problem by now." Maka said, looking seriously at Rose.

"Kinda'. It's because of my Soul right?" Rose asked.

"Your Soul is fine." Maka told her. "But if you keep using Soul Protect, you'll never be able to Resonate. And I'm not the only one here with strong enough Soul Perception to see through your Soul Protect. Frankly its not very good. Your true Wavelength slips though every now and then."

"I guess..." Rose said looking down.

"And if you keep suppressing your Soul you'll never be able to access its true power." Maka continued. "Once it gets out, people will want to use that power, or obtain it for themselves."

"I know that." Rose said, annoyed. "I've been hiding my whole life to stop exactly that. My parents finally sent me here so I could learn to protect myself."

"And your power is the best way to do that." Maka said, patiently.

"I just want to be normal." Rose exclaimed. Maka grinned.

"You picked the wrong school for that." She said. Rose giggled inspite of herself.

"I'll...think about it." She said after a moment.

"Ok." Maka replied. "But the sooner the better. Misuto is blaming himself for your inability to Resonate."

"I wish he wouldn't." Rose said.

...

A week later Rose and Misuto found themselves called into the Death Room again. They found Kidd and Soul waiting for them.

"Shouldn't you be in class?" Misuto asked Soul

"You should be too." Soul retorted grinning. "Jekyll's covering for me. Anyway this is more important."

"How are your studies progressing?" Kidd asked. He was staring in his mirror, with his back to them. But Rose could see his distinctive yellow eyes fixing on her though the mirror.

"We're almost done with Jekyll's tutoring. We're doing well in Soul's class though we still can't Resonate. And I've learned Soul Force." Rose summarized.

"I see." Kidd said. "Well you've been here a month now, and while it is a little early, I think it's time I started sending the two of you out on missions. You'll learn much more in the field than in the classroom."

"We'd be glad to do what we can." Misuto said. "But I don't think you called us in just for that."

"Quite true." Kidd continued. "The Heartless have been relatively quiet since you defeated that large one."

"Black*Star is still fuming about that." Soul broke in. Misuto shrugged.

"It's not his fault. Without a Keyblade there's not much anyone can do about the Heartless." He said

"But their activity has been picking up as of late." Kidd went on as though there had been no interruption.

"We've noticed." Rose said. "We've been getting rid of as many as we can."

"And we appreciate that." Soul said. "Especially as there's nothing anyone else can do about it."

"What we need is a more permanent solution." Kidd said. "Do you know of one."

"Well the Heartless seek Hearts. The Heart of the World above all." Misuto explained. "But they usually have a hard time getting into a World in the first place. You see, the World is protected by a World Barrier. It stops travel between Worlds and also keeps out the Heartless."

"You mean there are other Worlds besides this one?" Soul asked, looking confused.

"So much for the World Order" Rose said grinning.

"Since when does anyone care about that anyway?" Misuto asked also grinning. "But yes there are other Worlds. Millions of them. But you probably already knew this Lord Death?"

"I was aware that you two were from another World." Kidd said. "But I admit I haven't given other Worlds much thought. I have my hands full with this one."

"That's fair enough." Misuto said. "Worlds tend to keep to themselves. Only the Keyblade wielders worry about protecting other Worlds. That is their burden, and their privilege,"

"Getting back to our World." Kidd said "You said the World Barrier keeps the Heartless out."

"Normally it does." Misuto went on. "But the World Barrier isn't infallible. It can be broken."

"Have you guys had any meteor showers lately?" Rose asked. "It would have happened just before the Heartless showed up." Soul and Kidd looked at each other.

"We haven't had a meteor shower in years." Soul said. "Certainly not right before the Heartless appeared." It was Rose and Misuto's turn to glance at each other.

"That's strange." Misuto told them. "Normally a meteor shower is a sign that the World Barrier is broken. But if the Barrier is still up, I don't understand how the Heartless can get in."

"The only way I can think of is if someone is purposely bringing them here. Someone with a lot of Darkness in their Heart." Rose put in.

"We have no shortage of those." Kidd said "Even here at the DWMA. Though I doubt any one of us would even know how to bring them in, let alone have the desire to."

"Earlier you said the Heartless want the Heart of this World." Soul said.

"That's right." Misuto said. "Like people, Worlds have Hearts too. But the World Barrier can only be broken if someone has unlocked the World's Heart to begin with. And the only way to do that is with a Keyblade."

"As far as I know you are the only Keyblade in this World." Kidd said thoughtfully. "We must assume the Heartless are a ploy by some enemy of the DMWA."

"The only way to be rid of the Heartless is for all Hearts to be filled with light, according to Master Yen Sid." Rose said.

"The problem with that is that Darkness is a part of every Heart." Misuto said.

"Well-" Rose began.

"Drop it." Misuto said. Rose looked annoyed at him

"I'm entitled to my opinion." She said, defensibly.

"Anyway" Misuto said pointedly. "Our best bet is to find out who's controlling the Heartless and stop them."

"The Heartless can be controlled?" Kidd asked.

"Oh yeah." Misuto explained. "If you have sufficient control of Darkness. But I would advise against it."

"Darkness is unstable." Rose cut in. "And everyone using it doomed to become a slave to it. Especially if they command the Heartless."

"I don't agree." Soul said "Darkness is a part of me. I've accepted that."

"Well you'll see." Rose said, crossing her arms and looking away.

"Sorry about her." Misuto said. "She has this thing about Darkness."

"It's not a thing." Rose protested. "I'm just being realistic."

"Whatever" Misuto said, rolling his eyes.

"We're getting off topic." Kidd broke in. "Do you know who might be controlling the Heartless?"

"Not a clue" Misuto answered "I haven't met anyone who fits the bill. Which would be immersed in Darkness, and having an exceptionally strong will."

"That doesn't exactly narrow down the list." Soul said. But Kidd seemed anxious to start looking.

"Well you've been a great help." Kidd said, turning back to his mirror. "I must start investigating this at once. I'll have you assigned your first mission tomorrow. In the meantime the three of you should get back to class."

"Sure thing." Soul said. The three of them left for class together.

 **Well this is little late. Sorry about that. Kinda' an exposition-heavy few chapters. But I promise the next chapter will get back to the action. The set-up is now finished and next week, the real plot begins. Feel free to leave a review if you've figured out Rose's secret. It's going to be revealed soon anyway.**


	7. Chapter 7

**So I realized that I haven't described what our two heroes look like. ^_^' Sorry about that. I've updated chapter 1 to include a description of them. I need a beta. Anyone want to help out?**

It was a misty, moonless night somewhere among the moors of southern England. Rose and Misuto were on their very first mission, hunting a Kishin Egg, a soul that had strayed from the path and become evil. The two of them were wearing trench coats and boots, a concession to the chill and mud of the moor.

"Find it yet?" Misuto asked. He could only see a few feet in from of him because of the thick mist, but Rose was using her Soul Perception and could probably see for meters around them.

"Yes. There's two Souls about a half-mile west." Rose said. "One of them is a Kishin Egg."

"Let's hurry then." Misuto answered, before transforming. Rose caught him and took off at run across the moor, mud flying with each step. As they approached, they heard a growling and a voice call out.

"Who's there?" Said a man's voice through the mist. The growling became a loud barking and snarling. Clearly there was a dog present, but then..

"By the Light." Rose said.

"What?" Misuto asked, his weapon form lending his voice a metallic quality.

"My hound can smell you, DWMA scum!" The man said. A wind stirred and the mist moved aside like a curtain, revealing a man in a suit holding a leash. On the end of the leash was an enormous dog, black furred, red-eyed, with large razor-sharp claws.

"The Kishin Egg is that dog." Rose told Misuto, then she addressed the man. "You heartless wretch! How could you feed an innocent animal human Souls!?"

The man laughed. "Merely playing on an old story."* He dropped the leash and pointed at Rose.

"Kill!" He commanded. The dog surged forward, barking and growling, foam dripping from the corners of its mouth.

Rose leaped backward, landing with a loud splash in the mud.

"I can't kill a dog." Rose said, raising Misuto in a block as the demonic hound approached.

"I don't think there's much choice." Misuto answered. "We have a mission. Anyway we should put the poor thing out its misery."

"But still." Rose said, holding Misuto high as the dog jumped at them, its mouth wide revealing large fangs. The dog's mouth closed around Misuto, and Rose struggled with the beast as it tried to tear the Weapon out of her grip. Rose was stronger, and kicked the dog off. It hit the mud, but got quickly to its paws, snarling and circling her.

"It's not just Souls it's been eating." Misuto said. "Please don't let me get in its mouth again."

"Alright, I guess we should put it down." Rose said, reluctantly. She pointed Misuto at the dog. "Firagra."

Three fire balls launched at the dog from Misuto's tip. The dog's fur caught fire and skidded backward through the mud, but the spell did little else except to anger it.

"Kill! Kill!" The man screamed. The dog charged forward again, leaping into the air, claws and fangs bared.

Rose stepped aside, swiped at the dog as it passed. The dog lost balance and hit the ground in a heap. It dissolved into nothing, leaving only its red, tainted Soul behind. The man growled in anguish and turned to run.

"Blizzard!" Rose yelled, and mud around the man's feet froze solid, trapping him in place.

"What about this guy, and qualms about offing him?" Misuto asked.

"Not one." Rose replied. She dashed forward and swiped again, and the man fell the ground. But he was still alive. He coughed up blood, and started up at the violet glow of Rose's eyes.

"Kill me then, lackey of Death. But the Great Dragon comes to consume us all." He told them, blood still leaking from his mouth.

Rose brought Misuto down through the man's heart, and he too dissolved. His Soul, though corrupted, was somehow still human. Misuto transformed back into his human form and walked over to where the hound had fallen. He picked up the red Soul thoughtfully.

"The Great Dragon?" He wondered aloud.

…

The next day was Rose and Misuto's last session with Jekyll. They went about their usual routine, with only one book on the table.

"How was your mission?" Jekyll asked when they had finished. He seemed distracted all throughout the lesson. He had a faraway look on his face and didn't look at them much.

"It went as well as could be expected." Misuto hold him.

"I still wish I didn't have to kill that dog." Rose said. "But it was Pre-Kishin."

"Pre-Kishin, a dog?" Jekyll asked, this seemed to have gotten his full attention, for he looked at them his expression turned to one of curiosity.

"Yeah, but that's not the strangest bit." Misuto said. "The...trainer, for lack of a better term, said something about the Great Dragon coming to to consume us."

"Great Dragon?" Jekyll wondered. "That is strange. Have you told Lord Death?"

"Yes. He's looking into it." Rose answered. Jekyll went back to staring at something 50 miles in the distance.

"Are you ok?" Misuto asked. "You seem distracted."

"I'm fine" Jekyll said still not looking at them. "I've just had a lot on my mind."

…

Later Rose and Misuto were out in the forest practicing, when Pink*Star yelled at them from a treetop.

"Your goddess brings news!" She shouted, then she jumped and landed next to them.

"What is it?" Rose asked.

"Someone was murdered last night." Pink*Star told them.

"Wha- who?" Misuto asked, turning human.

"A girl who worked at Chupa Cabra's." Pink*Star went on. "She'd only been there a few days. Anyway Death Scythe found her body in the alley out back. And that's not all." The assassin paused dramatically. "Her Soul was missing."

Rose and Misuto's jaws dropped.

"A Pre-Kishin? In Death City?" Rose asked. "With all the Meisters who can see Souls?"

"That's what's so mysterious." Pink*Star said. "There were no witnesses. And no one in the club heard anything. Not even old man Spirit. He's in disgrace. A human Soul being eaten right under his nose."

"I can imagine. Still it's on all of use." Misuto replied. "We'd better keep and eye out. Maybe we should set up a patrol."

"Naw, it's not our concern." Pink*Star said, frowning. "There's plenty of older Weapons and Meisters. This is their job, we're still in training."

"That's no excuse to let people die." Rose said, annoyed. Imagine if your parents or Maka or Soul thought that way. The DWMA wouldn't exists."

Pink*Star looked surprised. "I didn't think of that. You're right. A goddess like me can't let her subjects get slaughtered."

"Let's get the class together after the bell rings. Then we'll decide what to do." Misuto suggested.

"I'll go tell everyone." Pink*Star agreed. She jumped into the trees again.

Soul had been listening from the other side of the clearing. He grinned his shark-toothed grin, and decided he'd better stick around after class too. "Not cool." He said to himself. "Cool guys don't stay after class."

 **Lucky chapter 7. The plot thickens! Sorry for the short chapter, but hopefully the next one will be longer. Not sure though. Anyway, anyone want to be my beta reader? I think I need one. XD You'll get to see the next chapter before anyone else does. PM or leave a review if you're interested.**

 ***Can anyone guess what I'm referencing with this entire first part of the chapter?**


	8. Chapter 8

After the bell rang, Rose and Misuto made as though to go back up the school, but doubled back when they thought Soul wasn't looking. They all noticed a few more students doing the same. They gathered in a clearing a fair distance from the school.

Rose looked around at the 10 other students that had stayed behind, fewer than she had expected. Pink*Star was there, and so was Angel, who for once looked interested. There were 4 other Weapon Meister pairs.

Vlad Mikhailov, son of Russian nobility. He didn't talk much. He wore a heavy fur coat and kept his short brown hair slicked back. He was in contrast to his weapon, Elias Oighear, a jolly Irish fellow and a quarterstaff. Like his Meister he wore winter gear, a jacket, gloves, beanie and ski pants. His hair was so blonde that it looked white and he a had a fringe of beard on his jaw.

Rejii Ryouken, a Japanese boy who wore a black shirt, grey pants, metal boots and gauntlets. His weapon form was a large flat, rectangular sword with square teeth on the other side of the blade. His Meister was his younger sister, Ikari. She wore the same clothes as her brother, though her only armor was a chest plate with a red picture of a wolf on it.

Belle Culpepper, a Southern belle in every sense of the word. How she managed to fight in a large dress and high-heels, Rose would never understand. Her weapon partner was an amorous French boy called Emile Leblanc who transformed into a spiked flail. He was dressed in an expensive-looking suit.

Xavier Serafim was a Death Priest from Brazil. He always wore his priestly vestments, and today was no exception. His weapon was an Australian, Tyler Mason, though he preferred Ty*. His weapon form was a wooden boomerang. He wore tattered camping gear, and like Rose and Misuto he seemed to have spent most of his life outdoors.

Rose could hardly have picked a bigger bunch of misfits. But then, it was Death City. And she and Misuto silently agreed that any help would be better than none.

"Thank you for staying behind." Rose said "The reason we asked you to is because of this rumor that's been going around."

"I'm guessing you mean the poor lass who got her Soul eaten." Elias said.

"That's right. We need to do something about it. One Kishin Egg in Death City is one too many. We need to-"

"And who put you in charge?" Rejii asked, glaring at her.

"You stayed behind to listen." Misuto said

"I just wanted to make sure you weren't gonna' try anything." Rejii retorted

"What would we do to you if hadn't stayed?" Misuto asked

Belle and Emile meanwhile were paying absolutely no attention to anything.

"You look ravishing this evening my dear." Emile was saying, with his most charming smile.

"I declare, you make me blush." Belle replied, hiding her red face behind a fan. This was their usual routine, and their flirting interrupted Soul on those rare occasions that he lecture to the class.

"Will you two shut up for once?" Pink*Star shot at the flirting partners.

"Struth, this is a right shambles." Ty said to his Meister, who nodded.

"Why must we argue?" Ikari asked, and she starting crying silently.

The hubbub was interrupted by three loud gunshots. Everyone looked around. Angel had transformed his hand into the long sleek barrel of a gun. Everyone stared at him, never having seen him transform before, even partially.

"Be serious." Angel said, transforming his hand back "One woman is already dead. There must not be another."

"Then vat" Vlad said "Do you suggest ve do about this?"

"It's simple enough." Angel said. "We're going to form a patrol. One Weapon and Meister pair will patrol the city at night. We'll take it in turns until someone catches the culprit."

"And what if we need backup?" Pink*Star asked.

"How many of you can see Souls?" Angel asked. He and all the Meisters except Ikari and Pink*Star raised their hands.

"Then we should have a secondary watch." Misuto suggested. "Someone who can see Souls will know when one of us engages in combat with a Pre-Kishin if they're looking for it."

"Sounds like a beauty of a plan." Ty put in.

"We'll take the first watch." Rose volunteered.

"I'll take the next day." Angel said.

"You're not going out there alone are you?" Pink*Star asked, smirking. Angel rolled his eyes.

"Fine, you're with me." He added, grudgingly.

…

As the group worked out the rest of their schedule, figures watched them from the edge of the clearing.

"Look at them. They've managed to organize themselves. Even though they're a bunch of misfits." Soul said, with affection in his voice.

"Just like us." Maka said, grinning "They won't just sit around when there's a threat to the city. You must be doing _something_ right as a teacher."

"Give me more credit, Maka. I'm not that bad of a teacher." Soul retorted, also grinning.

"I just hope they are strong enough." Kidd put in "Whatever it is has managed to avoid even the most sharp-eyed Soul seers."

"I know they can do it." Soul answered "They may not look it, but they are the best students in my class. At least as strong as we were at their age."

"You think they could take on a real Kishin?" Maka asked. But Kidd answered before Soul could.

"I hope for this World's sake that we never have to find out."

…

Three days later, and three more people had been found dead and without Souls. The Death Guard, as Soul had started calling the group of his students, was becoming increasingly frustrated.

"I found the poor boy just after he screamed." Belle was telling them at their second after-class meeting. "I must have missed the foul brute by two seconds."

"And you didn't see any Kishin Eggs around?" Angel asked.

"Not a one. All the nearby Souls seemed normal to me." Belle told him.

"I had the same issue." Rose said. "I can't find a trace of a corrupted Soul in the City."

"They must be using Soul Protect" Angel decided. "And the killings always happen right outside of heavily populated establishments. The killer must get himself lost in the crowd."

"Well what do we do now, mates?" Ty asked. "We can't ruddy well let the gala keep killing, can we?"

"We need to set a trap." Angel decided. "The killer targets civilians who can't defend themselves. And he always kills somewhere near a large crowd."

"There are any number of places that fit that description though." Misuto said.

"I have one particular place in mind. You've all been to Deathbucks?" They all nodded. "The owner is a family friend. He's holding a special event tomorrow night, and he expects a large crowd. This will be the perfect opportunity for the killer to strike We need to hide ourselves around the perimeter and wait for the culprit to show himself."

"One of us should be inside the cafe, in case the killer tries to duck inside." Rejii put in.

"It's so tragic, that there should be such violence inside Death City." Ikari said, tears pouring down her cheeks.

"The tragedy ends tonight or tomorrow night." Xavier decided. "It is our turn this night, and I will not let this abomination to Death slip past my sight."

"Struth, we'll stop the bugger if we see him." Ty agreed.

…

The next night was was even worse. There had been no further murders, and Xavier and Ty had seen nothing out of the ordinary. But 10 DWMA students and staff were missing. Among them were Jekyll, the visiting Death-Scythe Justin Law, and the Three-Star Weapon and Meister Ox Ford and Harvar D. Eclair. In light of the events, Lord Death had declared a curfew.

"What now?" Rejii asked. "So much for our trap."

"We can't give up." Elias declared. "Me and Vlad will go on patrol tonight, and be damned any curfew."

"It was my father's idea." Angel said, slightly annoyed by this attitude.

"Do ya think that everyone is going to listen? Someone's gonna' go out tonight, no matter what Lord Death says. I mean no disrespect to yer father, but he can't expect us to just sit around."

"I've got an idea." Pink*Star said. "We all go out. The Meisters who can see Souls need to find people breaking the curfew, and tail them. If the killer strikes, we'll be there to stop him."

"As good a plan as any." Angel agreed.

…

"They shouldn't be so disrespectful of you, Kidd." Maka said, glaring at Soul. "Someone's taught them to be rebels."

"Hey, four nights ago that was good thing." Soul protested.

"No, they're right, it is a stupid plan." Kidd said "But I don't know what else to do. Ox, Harvar, Jekyll, and Justin all gone. Not to mention the others. This is serious."

"I'm amazed Black*Star isn't tearing up the city." Soul commented.

"He wants to." Maka told him "But he's somehow managed to restrain himself. Said that this is Pink*Star's chance to be a big star, and he doesn't want to stop her."

"Dang, when did Black*Star get so mature?" Soul asked.

"Rising children does that to a man." Kidd said, smiling. "He has two, with another on the way."

"Still, I think we should be out there tonight with these kids." Maka decided.

"Good idea Maka. We'll have all the senior staff go out on patrol." Kidd agreed.

 **It's late, I'm sorry! I have no excuse, I just got lazy. On the other hand this is chapter 8, which means this fic is two months old. *confetti* Still looking for a Beta. It will encourage me to get my chapters in on time. Anyway we've met some more of Rose and Misuto's classmates. I promise next chapter we'll get to see some of them in action.**

 **I wasn't sure how to approach this chapter, introducing so many characters at once. I basically dumped their descriptions on you all at once. If anyone has any ideas how to make this chapter go smoother, please let know. Or, if you think it's fine how it is, that would be nice to know too. Any feedback would be great. Reviews earn my everlasting gratitude, and cookies. XD**

 ***Ty is a reference to the titular protagonist of the Ty the Tasmanian Tiger games. I'm stealing some of his diction from Ty so I hope those games aren't terribly offensive. XD**


	9. Chapter 9

Rose and Misuto sat in the living room of their apartment, tense and staring at the wall or out the window. The few hours to sunset seemed a long time. Finally the sky was dark, and they stood up, Misuto transforming, and took to the empty streets of Death City.

It was a new moon, and Rose had only the streetlights and her Soul Perception to guide her. After a short time, she spotted a man coming out of a building. Rose climbed onto a car, then to a second floor balcony, nimble as cat, and just as silent. A leap to the low sloping roof of the next building and she could see the man moving quickly through the street below her.

Whatever his business breaking curfew, Rose had to tail him in case the Kishin Egg decided to attack. Across the city, her classmates were all doing the same.

…

Pink*Star and Angel had started from a balcony of the DWMA. They had located a woman who had also sneaked out of her house and started tailing her across the rooftops. Pink*Star was angry at the young Death God.

"Why won't you transform?" She asked, in a low voice.

"I don't need a Meister, and we're not partners." Angel replied. "Now keep quiet."

Pink*Star growled softy, but said nothing.

…

The man seemed to be heading for the maze of alleys on Death City's east side. Rose leapt from rooftop to rooftop, her landings making no noise. The man entered the first of the alleyways, his figured quickly hidden by shadow. Rose followed, but on the ground, as many of the alleys were covered by the mismatched roofs of the buildings from either side.

The only light in the alley came from the occasional lit window, and the violet glow of Rose' eyes. She hoped that they wouldn't give her away. But the man wasn't looking behind him.

…

The woman Pink*Star and Angel were following ducked into an alley, one of many that formed a large portion of the east side of the city. Pink*Star came down from her rooftop, and followed Angel into the labyrinth.

…

Rose stopped and waited for the man to turn a corner.

"Pink*Star and Angel are following a woman, they're nearby. Our targets seem to be meeting." Rose told Misuto.

"Seems we're interrupting a tryst." Misuto replied. "Too bad for them, they picked the worst night. Maybe we should split up again."

"We need to at least talk to Pink*Star and Angel first. Anyway this might be it. There are plenty of other Souls around." Rose said.

"Let's go then." Rose kept moving. She soon met up with the other two a few corners from the lovers they had been following.

"Fancy meeting you guys." Pink*Star smirked. "Come here for the privacy too?"

Rose blushed, but it was impossible to see in the dark alley.

"You know perfectly well why we're here." She snapped at him.

"We need to split up again." Angel whispered. "Me and Pink*Star will stay here, we're independent enough to follow these two home."

"Sounds like a plan." Misuto agreed. "But we'll be nearby. There's plenty of other likely targets in this part of the city." They said goodbye and the four of them split up again into two teams.

Rose and Misuto moved deeper into the maze, each successive street getting darker.

It seemed as though they had been out for hours, but on a moonless night it was hard to know for sure. There was almost no one left on the streets now. Even most people bold enough to break the curfew had gone home for the night. It was eerie, alone in the dark except for the blue orbs of Souls floating in every direction.

Finally she spotted someone out of doors. A teenage girl, two streets over alone behind a dumpster. Rose moved quietly toward her. Then it happened. Another Soul came out of a building and moved quickly toward the girl. Rose broke into a run. Then there came a loud scream and the girl tried to flee, but was backed into a wall.

Rose rounded the last corner just in time to see the girl slump to the ground and hear a spatter of blood hit the cobble. There at the end of the alley, standing above the floating Soul of recently deceased girl was man. A man who's clothes she knew, a man with a dark green energy-knife fading from his hand.

"No, it can't be." Rose said to Misuto. "But no one else has Soul Blades..."

"Who?" He asked. Rose lit a bright light in her hand and flung it into the air. It illuminated the alley, glinting off the pool of blood, its glare falling on the distinctive lab coat and top hat of Jekyll.

"Jekyll?" Misuto asked. He turned, and light fell on his face. The thing that grinned at them looked like Jekyll had died and his body had rotted in open water. His skin was pale and hung loosely on his face. His eyes were sunken and would have been hidden in shadow if the irises didn't glow red. Veins stood out black on his face and hands, and his hair was grey and wilder than Rose had ever seen it.

"Not Jekyll." Said the deep, maniacal corruption of their friend's voice. "I'm Hyde."

"What have you done to him?" Rose demanded.

"Done to him?" Hyde repeated, forming a cane of his dark green Soul Wavelength and leaning on it. "I did nothing to that foolish slave of Death. I was merely released from my prison inside him."

"Liar!" Rose shot at him, raising Misuto. "You're just a perversion of our friend!"

"Hyde is real!" Hyde spat. "Jekyll was the fake. The weakling feared Death, he didn't have the nerve to do what must be done."

"Fear keeps us same. It drives us to better ourselves." Rose said "You were the one who taught me that."

"Pawn of Death." Hyde taunted. "See if your fear keeps you alive." He grabbed the head of his cane, and drew a long, thin sword from within. He moved forward, slowly, cane and sword at the ready.

"Don't do this Jekyll." Rose said. "I know you're in there somewhere."

"Don't waste your breath. Jekyll is gone, and there is only Madness in his wake. He charged forward, sword raised.

 **Krieg: Soul Eater**

Hyde swiped at with his sword. Rose blocked, but Hyde lashed at her knees with the cane in his other hand. Rose jumped back, but came forward again with a heavy overhead strike. Hyde dodged to the side, and tripped her with his cane. Rose hit the ground and rolled out of the way of a stab from the sword. Rose got to her feet and dodged left, then was forced to jump back again. Rose realized that she was at a disadvantage.

Misuto looked like a slow heavy weapon, and most of the time, Rose fought as though he was. Rose was actually strong enough to use him like a rapier, which often caught opponents off guard. But Hyde was at least as fast as she was, and as skilled with his choice of weapon. Hyde displayed Jekyll's years of experience, which Rose knew dwarfed her own. She remembered something her father had once told her. When outmatched, cheat.

With a quick spell, Rose froze the ground beneath them, then jumped and snatched at a nearby balcony, holding on to the railing with one hand. Hyde didn't move. He took his sword and cane both in one hand, and with the other formed and flung a dagger at her. Rose swung out of the way and onto the balcony, dodging a swarm of more daggers along the way. She sent a trio of fire balls over the railing and climbed up a window to the top of a roof.

Hyde leapt away from the fireballs and followed her to the rooftop. He came at her with cane and sword again. Rose feinted right, but Hyde outguessed her and slashed at her gut. Rose tried to move back, but was too slow, and the sword ripped a long gash in her abdomen. She gasped and put her left hand over the wound. Light shone from between her fingers and when she took her hand away the wound had healed.

"You're not attacking." Hyde commented casually.

"I don't want to hurt you, Jekyll." Rose replied.

"Don't be a fool." Hyde snapped. "You're just like Jekyll. Hiding your true self from the world. But I know what you are." He laughed maniacally. "You're less human than me!"

 **Late, again but not as late. I hope you all guessed that Jekyll would turn into Hyde. But what is Rose hiding? This is your last chance to guess, tomorrow will tell. As a holiday treat for you guys (and a penalty to myself for being late twice) I'm going start uploading two chapters a week. One on Sunday, and one and Wednesday. AND I'm going to post another chapter, for a total of** **three** **chapters this week. I'll have all three of them up before Thursday. (as I'll be away for the weekend, and I don't know if I'll be able to upload this Sunday)**

 **In other news I'm still looking for a beta. Having one would improve the quality of my work, and as my beta you'd get to see chapters early. So let me know if you're interested. But a review would also be enormously helpful.**

 **Anyway, enough begging. XD Happy holidays, folks.**


	10. Chapter 10

"You think that you're fooling people. But your Soul Protect is pathetic." Hyde taunted "Why bother with it?"

"I'll stop using it as soon as you do." Rose challenged.

Hyde laughed. "Very well then. Soul Protect release." His Soul expanded and turned dark green. Madness flowed through it in black streams.

"Release." Rose said. It felt like taking a first breath after years underwater. Her Soul rejoiced at being free of long confinement. But Rose knew there was no going back now.

"Much better." Hyde sighed. "You can feel it, can't you? The power you've been keeping locked away. And now, Death God, let us finish this. Two monsters in a city of humans."

"I am a Reaper." Rose said. "But that doesn't mean I'm not human." She raised Misuto and charged a fire spell at his tip. She fired it at Hyde. Hyde laughed and formed shield from his Soul Wavelength which blocked the spell.

"Ah, but now you've made me reveal myself. How foolish of me. Doubtless more DWMA will be along to investigate." He grinned "I'll just have to kill them, as well as you."

"I won't let that happen." Rose promised. She ran at Hyde, holding Misuto high. At the last moment, she changed her attack, and swept the Keyblade at Hyde's ankles. Hyde was too quick, however, and had jumped over the attack while bringing down his sword and cane both. Rose rolled to the side, getting quickly to her feet.

Hyde recovered and came at her again, cane and sword whirling through the air in a series of quick slashes and jabs. Rose dodged or blocked each one, but had no time to counterattack. Finally Hyde caught her in the arm with his cane, and tried to stab her through the heart. Rose took a risk and jabbed at his knee with Misuto.

Hyde stumbled backward, his stab ruined, and Rose pressed forward, attacking with Misuto held at arms length in front of her, driving Hyde back toward the roof edge. Hyde snarled tried to knock Misuto from her hands. Rose held on, but was thrown off balance. Hyde leapt over her head, onto higher roof.

Hyde created six daggers in mid air in front of him, and sent them flying at her. Rose was on the ground, but she block them, and got to her feet.

"Magnet!" She created a vortex over her head. Hyde started to be drawn into it, but he stabbed his sword into the roof, and dug his feet between the tiles. Rose charged forward at blinding speed, but Hyde was quick enough to block her slash with his cane.

The spell faded and Hyde slashed at her again. Rose ducked, but again came the fast series of strikes that Rose only had time to dodge or block. Hyde was driving her down the roof, toward the edge again. Rose felt the edge of the rooftop under her feet. She deliberately took a jab to the stomach and fell backward off the roof. With her free hand, she grabbed the roof's edge. Hyde slashed at her fingers, and Rose was forced to let go.

She landed on her feet, in the alley below. She looked up. Hyde hadn't followed her. She climbed quickly back up to the rooftop to see him running toward the edge of the city. Rose set off in pursuit. She sent a swarm of blizzard spells chasing after the retreating figure of Hyde. He slip down a roof to the ground as the spells hit the roof edge, freezing it. Rose slid after him and dashed down the alley below.

But Hyde had come to a dead end. He turned around, glaring at her. Then he moved swiftly toward her. Rose took a wild swing at his sword, and knocked his from his grip. It flew a foot away, then dissipated. Hyde was already making a swarm of daggers that he sent at her. She deflected them all at random angles, and a few flew past Hyde, cutting him in several places. His left shoulder spurted blood. It was hard to tell in the dim light of a nearby window, but Hyde's blood looked black.

Hyde snarled and conjured gun from his Soul Wavelength. He opened fire.

"Reflect!" Rose quickly cast a magical barrier, and the bullets pinged off and hit the cobble. A second later the spell sent out purple orbs of reflected energy, and Hyde was sent sprawling to the ground, and lay still.

"Is he out of it?" Misuto asked, speaking for the first time in what seemed like hours.

"I don't think so. I still don't want to hurt him." Rose answered, approaching tentatively. Hyde grabbed her ankle and forced her to the ground, rolling on top of her, and pinning the hand holding Misuto with his foot. He created a dark green knife, and put it to her throat. Rose struggled to get up, but she couldn't move.

As Hyde began to cut, something rammed into him, knocking him off Rose. It was Stein, and he was holding a black and gold hammer in his hand. In a flash of yellow light, the hammer had transformed into a woman with Jekyll's blonde hair and honey-colored eye, the other covered with an eye patch. She ran toward Hyde, a golden light in her hands.

"Healing wavelength!" The woman shouted. Then she grabbed Hyde by the shoulders and golden light covered them both.

When the light had faded, Marie was embracing an unconscious Jekyll.

…

The next morning, Stein and Marie were standing over their son's bed, Kidd was opposite, and Maka and Soul were leaning against the wall.

"So his blood is black?" Kidd asked.

"Yes, there's no doubt about it." Stein replied, glancing at the clipboard in his hands.

"There's only one person who knows the secrets of Black Blood." Kidd said. "Medusa."

"Damn witch." Maka growled. "How many times do I have to kill her?"

"At least once more." Kidd answered "But this time I'm going with you. I will make sure that she dies. Forever." His voiced was cold, and laced with scorn he rarely displayed.

…

Rose and Misuto had stayed all night in a small square. Sleep didn't really seem important at the moment.

"Did you know?" Rose asked after a long silence.

"I suspected." Misuto said "I knew you weren't a normal human."

Rose looked down.

"But" Misuto continued. "It doesn't matter. You're still my best friend." He smiled at her. Rose smiled back, gratefully.

"Thank you." She stood up. "We should get to class." Misuto nodded.

 **Two of three chapters this week. A little short I'm afraid, but there will be another later today. Anyone guess that Rose was a Reaper? Was it obvious, impossible to guess? Please let me know. XD**


	11. Chapter 11

The next day an oddly surreal one. No one in class could concentrate at all. Even Soul had a hard time focusing. He ended up dismissing class early, but asked Rose and Misuto to stay behind for a bit.

"You guys were scheduled for a mission tomorrow." He told them "But I'll understand if you want to put it off for a few days given...last night."

"No, we'll go." Rose assured him, Misuto nodding.

"Are you sure?" Soul asked, looking doubtful.

"Yes. Everyone knows my secret now. This will give them time to get used to it without me around." Rose said.

"Honestly, I doubt anyone cares. Most of us knew already." Soul grinned "Your Soul Protect really was terrible." Rose grinned back.

"I guess it was. So, where are we headed tomorrow?"

"The Caribbean." Soul said. "You're on the first plane tomorrow morning. In the meantime, get some sleep. You both look like you need it."

…

The next afternoon Rose and Misuto stepped out of the airport to warm humid air and bright sun.

"Reminds me of home." Misuto said, taking a deep breath.

"Yeah, nice be around some water again." Rose agreed. "Still, we have a pirate to hunt."

"That's true." Misuto said. "And it's not going to be a beach party."

For weeks the Bahamas had been terrorized by a Kishin pirate ship, the _Queen Anne's Revenge_. The ship was captained by Edward Teach a.k.a. Blackbeard. Rose and Misuto were to be part of a fleet of police and coast guard ships that were determined to sink the vessel.

Rose and Misuto were met a by police captain, and taken in a car to the harbor where the fleet was waiting for them to launch. In spite of the seriousness of the situation, Rose couldn't help but enjoy the rush of salty air as the ships sped toward the distant cove where the _Revenge_ was anchored.

The plan was to use the assembled men, all volunteers from the police, coast guard, and others, to distract the pirate crew so that Rose and Misuto could quickly find and put Blackbeard out of everyone's misery. Rose had been issued a flare gun, and was told to signal when her task was complete, and she was safely back on board a police vessel. Then the men would retreat and the _Revenge_ would be sunk, along with her crew.

When they reached the secluded cove, they found it empty. So the fleet sat in waiting, hidden behind other nearby islands, with sentries posted in the cover of rocks or foliage. Near dawn the enormous pirate ship finally returned to her berthing, and the trap was sprung.

Amid the shouts, the gunfire, and the clanging of swords, Rose leaped from the police vessel to the deck of the _Queen Anne's Revenge_ , and with her Soul Perception she quickly located its wretched captain.

True to his name, Blackbeard sported a large black beard on his chin. He wore a large red coat with gold trim, and had lit fuses sticking out from under his hat.

"Edward Teach, you have strayed from the path, and become evil. Your Soul is mine." Rose declared. Teach turned to face her.

"Is it now, lass." He drew a wicked cutlass. "I'll have no DWMA dogs on my vessel, little girl or no."

Blackbeard moved toward her, jabbed at her head. Rose knocked his sword aside and slashed through him. Teach dissolved into nothing, leaving only his rotted red Soul behind. Misuto grabbed it, and the two of them grabbed a nearby rope, and swung back to a friendly ship.

Rose fired the flare high into the air, and the assembled men retreated. With their captain dead, the pirates could do nothing but yell taunts or threats. Then the dynamite that had been rapidly placed in the _Revenge's_ powder store was detonated, and the massive galleon went down with a cheer from surrounding vessels.

…

Upon their return to the DWMA the next day, Rose and Misuto had found that things had returned to normal. Almost. Though Jekyll had been found, the other 9 DWMA members were missing. Jekyll, having no memory as his time as Hyde, could not account for them or the Souls that he had stolen. Jekyll had not been eating them, that was clear from his Soul.

"What next?" Maka asked Kidd, and the two of them along with Spirit and Soul stood in the Death Room.

"We find Medusa." Kidd replied.

"I meant about Jekyll." Maka said "People want him held accountable for his actions as Hyde."

"Don't they understand that it's not his fault?" Spirit asked.

"No, they don't." Soul said. "Black Blood is a secret, but Stein isn't. They're all saying that he's a worse monster than his father was."

"It isn't fair." Maka agreed.

"I don't blame Jekyll." Kidd said "But at the same time, we can't just pretend it never happened,"

"So what are you going to do with him?" Spirit asked. Kidd was silent for a moment.

"For now I'll transfer him out of Death City." He deiced "I'll assign him to the Oceania branch, Marie is well-liked there, I'll send her as well. And maybe people will forget about this in a few months."

"So we're going to pretend it didn't happen." Soul smirked. Kidd glared at him.

"Hey, I don't see you coming up with anything better. This whole thing is so...asymmetrical!" Kidd took a breath. "Anyway we have a bigger concern. Medusa. This is probably her way of announcing her return."

"Stein and Sid are already investigating." Spirit said. "Nygus and Liz are with them."

"I know." Kidd said. "I don't understand why she wanted to go."

"She says she's bored staying in Death City all the time, baby sitting you." Maka smirked. "How long has it been since you gave her a mission?"

"Too long." Kidd admitted. "Still, is it wrong for a husband to want to protect his wife?"

"Not at all." Soul said.

…

Weeks past, and the weather got colder. It was the day before Halloween, and all of Death City was buzzing with anticipation of the annual Battle Tournament.

"I'm gonna' win that tournament for sure!" Pink*Star announced after class one day.

"You'll have to get through us." Misuto reminded him, grinning.

"No problem for a goddess like me." Pink*Star bragged.

"But then there's Vlad and Elias." Rose reminded him.

"Like I said, not a problem." Pink*Star repeated. Just then, Angel walked up.

"Where have you been all day?" Rose asked him. "And since when do you have earrings?"

"Since today." Angel grunted. "Aunt Patty insisted. It's only my mom that can talk her out of stuff. And She's still away."

"What's she doing anyway?" Misuto asked. Angel shrugged.

"Dad won't tell me. I think it has something to do with Jekyll though."

"Whatever." Pink*Star cut in. "I'm gonna' beat you so hard in the tournament."

"I'm not entering." Angel said.

"You're not?" Rose asked. "I thought it was mandatory for all EAT students."

"Maybe, but I'm still not entering." Angel said, looking away.

"You're just afraid you're going to lose to me." Pink*Star bragged. "It's ok. I can't expect everyone to be as big a star as I am." Angel turned around and glared at him.

"You think you're stronger than me?" He demanded.

Pink*Star's smirk widened. "You bet your pretty boy butt I do. I could pummel a lamppost like you in no time."

"We'll see about that." Angel declared. "I will enter. And I'm going to fix it so we square off in the first match. Then we'll see who's stronger."

"Makes no difference to me." Pink*Star replied. Angel, stalked off, growling.

"Wow, you played him like a fiddle." Rose remarked.

"It's all about hitting the right buttons." Pink*Star told them. "He's almost as angsty as he looks with those with those earrings."

 **On Sunday the new schedule begins. Two uploads a week, one on Sunday and one on Wednesday from now on. And next chapter is the Halloween Battle Tournament. Late for Halloween, but I'm excited. I'll get to show off the fighting abilities of a lot of characters. In the meantime, let me know what you thought of this chapter. And happy Thanksgiving.**


	12. Chapter 12

**If I don't identify the speaker, assume its the announcer talking. XD**

The sun reached his highest point on all Hallows Eve, fireworks went off. Orange and purple explosions lit the sky above Death Stadium.

"And those fireworks mark the start of this year's Halloween Battle Tournament." Said an excited announcer. "That's right, folks, this very day you will see some of the finest of the DWMA's students compete in a heart-pounding battle for supremacy. The winner receives extra allowance for the rest of the year, and the gold-plated Battle Tournament trophy.

Our first match today is very exciting. Two EAT students, both a like in...well not dignity. In the north gate, a firebrand that lives up to her family name. You've all heard her proclaim her greatness first thing in the morning, it's Pink*Star!"

A cheer went up as the north gate opened and Pink*Star charged onto the field.

"And coming from the south gate, he finally started attending classes this year. You all know him, that's right its the son of Death himself, Angel of Death!"

Angel walked purposefully onto the field, his eyes fixed on Pink*Star. He ignored the crowd, even when a chorus of teenage girls started chanting his name.

"You can see the sparks fly between these two. I think we have a grudge match on our hands. A Weaponless Meister and a Meister-less Weapon, this should be an interesting fight folks. At the sound of the gong the match will begin."

A gong went off, and the crowd roared. Angel transform his hand into the long slim barrel of a gun, and with his other hand had conjured a skull energy-shield that covered most of his body. Pink*Star took off at high speed and started circling Angel too fast to see.

"There's the speed that the Star family is so well known for. All I can see of Pink*Star is a dust cloud, but Angel isn't fazed, he's holding his ground."

Angel fired one shot, and Pink*Star stopped, hopping on on foot and holding the other which had clearly been shot. She recovered and came in at Angel at lightning speed. Angel blocked with his shield and tried to shove Pink*Star away.

"Pink*Star is really hammering away at the young Reaper. Can Angel's defenses hold?"

Angel hopped backward and fired at again. Pink*Star zigzagged in front of Angel, dodging every bullet. Now Pink*Star was in front of Angel, and her hands shot out.

"Pink*Star Tsunami!" She shouted. For a moment, it seemed nothing happened. Then Angel's skull shield shattered and Reaper stumbled backward, his hand transforming back.

"I can hardly believe it! Even Death isn't safe from a Star. Pink*Star has broken through. But he's recovered now. They're circling each other like wolves."

The two moved forward at the same time, each ready with a blow. They started exchanging attacks so fast that their hands and legs were blurred.

"This is fighting on a whole new level. It's hard to see, but it doesn't look either of them can get a hit on the other. Fast as Pink*Star is, Angel is keeping up with her. This might be a very long match, folks, they appear to be evenly matched. And you know neither of them is going to get tired any time soon."

The two back off, neither showing any signs of fatigue. Angel transformed his hand again, and fired three shots. Pink*Star ducked all three, and tried to sweep Angel's legs out from under him. Angel was too quick, and jumped Pink*Star's kick with perfect timing.

"Someone's gonna' have to get creative here."

Angel formed another skull shield but kept firing. He was managing to drive Pink*Star back. Suddenly, he leaped into the air, still firing. He brought his shield down onto Pink*Star, pinning the assassin to the ground.

"Pink*Star is down! But is she out? I don't think so."

Even with her legs pinned to the ground, Pink*Star was managing to dodge every one of Angel's flurry of bullets.

"Bet you're enjoying this huh?" Pink*Star asked. She suddenly grabbed Angel's chin and brought his face slowly down toward hers as though about to kiss him. Angel seemed confused and stopped firing. Then Pink*Star had put both of her palms on Angel's chest.

"Pink*Star Tsunami!" She shouted again. Angel went flying off of her and skidded on his back in the dirt.

"Oh, Pink*Star fights dirty! Angel had the upper hand but he let himself get distracted. And I think is cost him the match. Yes, he's not moving. The ref has called the match in Pink*Star's favor! She did it, folks, she's beaten Death!"

The crowd went wild, and two medics hurried Angel off the field in a stretcher. Pink*Star waved and grinned at the crowd before exiting through his opponent's gate.

"That was our first match, and I already can't wait for the next one. I'm sure you folks can't wait either, but it'll be just a few minutes before the next one. Take this time to get yourself a Death Dog or a cold drink."

…

"Almost time."Misuto said, glancing up at the monitor. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be." Rose replied. "I honestly didn't think Pink*Star could do it."

"Yeah, and boy, does she not fight fair." Misuto grinned. "I didn't think she thought of Angel that way."

"Maybe, maybe not." Rose giggled. "But she'll never hear the end of it. Neither will Angel. Who are we up against?"

"Vlad and Elias." Misuto told her.

"I guess we'll finally see if they're as strong as Vlad says." Rose said

"Ok, time to go to your gate, the gong's about to ring." Sprit cut in.

Rose and Misuto nodded and walked forward into the north gate.

…

"And now it's time for match number two. In the north gate, a pair of first year EAT students. That should tell you how strong they are, even if they don't have much experience. And get this, the Meister is a Reaper too. Not only that, but she isn't related to Lord Death, if that's even possible. Only in Death City, folks, will you get to see two Reapers battling it out in one day. Here they are folks, Rose and Misuto!"

The two of them walking out, smiling and waving at the cheering crowd.

"And in the South gate, the chilly duo from Europe Vlad and Elias!"

They emerged from their gate, Vlad impassive as ever, Elias giving the crowd the thumbs up.

"At the sound of the gong the match begins!"

 **Trainer Battle-Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire**

The gong went off, and both weapons transformed. Misuto assumed his Keyblade form, and Elias transformed into a wooden quarterstaff. Holding Elias out beside him with one hand, Vlad walked slowly forward. He suddenly whipped his partner forward and an icy wind blew at Rose.

Rose ignored the wind, and pointed Misuto at Vlad. Fire blossomed from his tip, and she shot a fireball at him.

Vlad didn't break stride but created an ice wall on front of him that blocked the spell.

"Fire vs ice! These are both magical fighters, something that wasn't even conceivable in the DMWA only 10 years ago. According to his file, Elias is actually a winter sprite, that's like a fairy or spirit for those of you not familiar with mythology. He seems to lend his icy powers to his Meister in battle. But do Rose and Misuto have the firepower to keep up?"

Rose cloaked her self in a fire shield and rushed forward. Misuto shattered the ice wall, but Vlad was there blocking. The two weapons clashed with a loud clang.

"Sounds like Elias is made of ironwood. He looks like wood, but he sounds like metal. Rose' flames seem to be doing the trick, Vlad is losing ground."

Vlad backed off, and tapped Elias on the ground, freezing it. Rose made as though to rush forward, but jumped instead, knowing better than fall for the trick she herself often used. She came down with an overhead slash and the two weapons clanged together again.

Vlad started spinning his partner like a giant fan, and Rose found herself blown backward by an icy wind, her fire cloak going out. She planted Misuto into the ground and managed to regain her footing. Vlad was already moving forward. Rose raised Misuto high over her head and cast a line of lighting bolts that moved toward Vlad.

"It's not just Fire, but Lighting magic too. I wonder what other tricks this pair has up their sleeves."

Vlad side-stepped the lightning, and hurled a barrage of ice spikes at Rose. Rose cast a Reflect spell, and the ice shattered against it. Vlad was caught off guard by the retailing purple orbs and was sent flying back. Rose was already on him, and caught him a wide sweeping blow on his back. Vlad slammed into the ground, but picked himself up using Elias to take his weight.

"Vlad is tougher than he looks. That must have hurt, but the expression on his face hasn't changed at bit."

Vlad slammed Elias onto the ground and an icy circle expanded outward. Rose landed just inside of it, then turned and shot three more Fire spells at him. Vlad spun Elias like a fan again, and the three spells bounced off. But it was all the distraction Rose needed. She zipped past him at lightning speed, Misuto held up both hands delivering a cut that was too fast to see.

Vlad went down and didn't move. Elias transformed and quickly examined his Meister' injuries. But he looked up and back away as the medics came for Vlad.

"Vlad is down! Rose has won. She burned too hot for Vlad's icy attitude. I don't think we've seen all Rose can do. We certainly will be seeing her again in round two. Stick around, folks, the day has only just begun."

 **The new upload schedule begins. Look forward to another chapter on Wednesday.** **In the meantime check out some artwork done by my very good friend UlixesEmotion on her tumblr page (just search kingdom-eater on said website).**


	13. Chapter 13

"Once again in the north gate we have a pair of rising stars, Rose and Misuto!"

It was now round two and Rose was losing confidence. Their opponents were two-star Meisters.

"Coming out of the south gate now is Gale and Jocelyn, a two-star team in their final year here at the DWMA. Can Rose and Misuto keep up? We'll find out at the sound of the gong."

Gale was blonde girl with green eyes and glasses. She had a friendly face and wore a white shirt and jacket with purple jeans.

Jocelyn was a tall boy wearing goggles and a trench coat. His hair was brown, but his face was difficult to see, hidden behind his goggles and the collar of his shirt. As the gong sounded, his weapon from turned out to be a trench knife. *****

 **Normal Battle-Pokemon Colosseum**

Rose decided to take a different tactic in this fight. She caught Misuto and asked him.

"Ready?"

"Whenever you are?" He replied.

Gale moved forward, holding her weapon in a reverse grip in front of her. Rose moved forward too. She had seen Gale's first fight, and knew that Gale was deceptively fast and agile.

Gale made as though to step to one side, but then reversed direction and came at Rose from the left, fast. Rose ducked and swept Misuto at Gale's legs. Gale turned her missed lunge into handstand, then sprang to her feet again.

Rose didn't let up, but slashed at her again and again from different angles. Gale dodged every strike with seemingly no effort.

"Rose is fast, but Gale is faster. They seem to be sizing each other up. This should get interesting."

Now Gale was on the offensive. Jocelyn was too small and too fast for Rose to block, so she had to resort to dodging while backing up. Gale started to move even faster and Rose was forced to jump backward a few feet.

Gale paused, and Rose too the opportunity to launch a Fire spell at her. Gale backflipped out of the way, and smirked. Then Gale was gone.

"Where'd she go? Can Gale really be faster than the eye?"

Rose focused her Soul Perception. Yes there she was. Not moving at superhuman speeds, but using some kind of technique that rendered Gale and her Weapon invisible. They were coming at her from the left again. Rose dodged.

"Rose is moving but I don't see Gale. Ah, I get it. Gale's invisible. But Rose must be able to see her with Soul Perception. I told you this would get interesting, folks."

Rose jumped backwards again, and this time cast a Thunder spell that sent yellow bolts of lightning raining down around her. Gale backed off.

"I think it's time Misuto." Rose said.

"Let's do it then." Misuto agreed.

They both concentrated. Rose reached out and found Misuto's Soul. And it was easy now, so easy to pass her Soul waves along to him. And just as easily he sent them back, amplified.

"Soul Resonance!" They both yelled.

"I don't believe my eyes, folks. Soul Resonance from first year students. I knew Rose had a trick up her sleeve. But will it be enough?"

Light was gathering on Misuto's blade. Now he was glowing white and lengthening. Their Resonance was stable. Rose felt the power flowing through them. Gale was staring, transfixed, her invisibility gone.

As the Thunder spell faded, Rose suddenly moved much faster than before, and Gale was dodging for dear life. Misuto just barely missing her, and cutting the corner of her jacket with the first swipe. Rose planted Misuto into the ground and six pillars of light burst outward. Gale was sent flying. The crowed was on its feet, in total awe of the Resonance technique.

Gale got up, but Rose was already on her. She held Misuto level with her throat, grinning. Gale smiled back and raised her hands, Jocelyn assuming human form again. The crowd went wild.

"And Gale has thrown in the towel. But who can blame her, that technique is nothing like I've ever seen. Rose and Misuto are on a whole different level. But then, what do you expect from a Death God. Well we're taking a short break, but we'll be right back with more of round 2."

…

Rose and Misuto found Soul and Maka in the waiting room.

"I'm really proud of you two." He said, smiling. "I didn't know that you had managed Soul Resonance."

"We wanted to make it a surprise." Misuto told him.

"You definitely took Death City by surprise." Soul said turning to Maka "And Gale is no pushover. She's way better than he father ever was."

"Hiro turned out to be a far better father than a Mesiter." Maka agreed. "But it's not over yet, on to the semi-finals for you."

Soul smirked. "I bet I know who your next opponents will be."

…

"Welcome to the Semi-finals. It's almost all over, folks, we have only a few matches left. But they're going to be the most exciting yet."

It was nighttime now, and the stadium was lit by huge floodlights.

"In the north gate, you know them by now, it's Rose and Misuto."

The crowed cheered and some were chanting their names.

"And in the south gate, a pair some consider to be the greatest Weapon-Meister duo to come the DMWA since their parents. Tetsu and Banshee!"

Tetsu looked like Maka, except for his father's red eyes. Banshee was just the opposite, as shark-like as her father, but with Make's green eyes.

"Actually her name is really Bambina, but never call her that. I'm probably in serious trouble for even mentioning it. Anyway, our most exciting match yet will start at the sound of the gong.

The gong rang out, and both weapons transformed. Banshee's weapon from was much like her fathers, though her blade was more curved, and her handle was shorter.

 **Team Magma/Aqua Battle-Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sappire**

There was something strange going on. Rose felt slightly motion sick, which was impossible for her. She was a Reaper, she didn't get motion sick. Switching to Soul Perception, Tetsu and Banshee's Souls looked...distorted. There seemed to be a lot of static in the stadium, which also didn't make sense.

"What's wrong?" Misuto asked, sensing her discomfort through their bond.

"I don't know, I can't see their Souls properly." Rose replied.

"Those of you in the audience with any kind of 6th sense are probably feeling a bit seasick. I know I am. This is a technique that we haven't seen yet, but it's Tetsu and Banshee's specialty."

Testu was grinning.

"Something wrong?" He asked. Rose ignored him.

"Let's make this quick." Rose said.

"Right." They began their Resonance began again, but something came between them and the Resonance broke off sharply.

"What happened?" Rose asked, opening her eyes and looking around confused.

Tetsu was still grinning. "Soul Dissonance." He announced.

"You heard him right, folks. Soul Dissonance is a technique that only Tetsu and Banshee can perform. Most mysterious how they do it. But it interferes with Soul Resonance. In extreme cases it can stop a Meister from wielding their Weapon at all."

Rose couldn't hear the crowd anymore, which in any case had fallen silent. The Dissonance was getting louder and louder, and suddenly she dropped Misuto, clamping her hands over her ears, and falling to her knees.

Misuto transformed instantly, looking concerned and putting a hand on her shoulder. The grin had faded from Tetsu's face. The Dissonance faded and after a second Banshee also transformed, looking concerned.

"And just like that the round is over, folks. Neither side looks ready to fight. But Misuto transformed first, so I'm afraid that the round goes to Tetsu and Banshee, who will be moving on the finals. It seems the Dissonance was too much for poor Rose. But you can hardly blame her for that. I'm all the way up in my box, and I was about 30 seconds away from throwing up. I'm sure many of you felt the same. Still it's a shame we missed an exiting match. Ah well, plenty more to come, and maybe Tetsu will learn to hold back some next round. Stay tuned, folks."

…

Rose was sitting in the waiting room a few minutes later, having been helped there by Misuto.

"Sorry about that." Rose said. "I lost us the match."

"Don't worry about." Misuto replied. "I threw the round by transforming. Anyway, it's not your fault. I doubt they've used that technique on someone with such sensitive Soul Perception before."

"I guess..." Rose said.

Tetsu came over at that momet, looking unhappy.

"I'm really sorry about that." He said, and he looked quite sincere. "I've never seen our Dissonance do that before. I hope I didn't hurt you too much."

"It's ok." Rose said quickly. "I'm better now. I just didn't expect it."

"How do you manage a Soul Dissonance anyway?" Misuto asked.

"It's because Banshee and I both have Black Blood." Tetsu replied. Rose and Misuto gaped at him. "Both our parents have Black Blood, we were born with it. It took us a long time to control our Blood. Even longer to develop that technique. I doubt it anyone else could ever use it."

"It's certainly very effective." Misuto said. "I'm just glad we're on the same side." Tetsu grinned.

"How about we make it up you?" He asked. "We'll give you a special training session after school nest week. Teach you how to shut out techniques like ours, if there are others."

"That would be great, thank you." Rose said, smiling.

 **The first Wednesday upload. And chapter 13, a rather important number in the Kingdom Hearts universe. The word count is now over 20,000. That's a lot of words. At least for me.**

 **Anyway, let know what you think. If you want to see some more battles from the Tournament, let me know. I could always post them as a bonus chapter. But next time things take a grim turn…**

 **Don't forget to check out UlixesEmotion's Kingdom-Eater tumblr for her artwork of my characters.**

 ***In case you aren't familiar with the term, a trench knife is essentially a knife with brass knuckles built into the grip. Jocelyn is based on the Mark I from WWI, which was standard issue to soldiers in that war, hence why it's called a trench knife. The Mark I also has a small spike on the opposite side of the handle from the blade.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Now things will get bloody. Let me know if you think the rating should go up.**

It was a dark and foggy night in Whitby, the small port town on the east coast of London. Rose and Misuto were sitting on a bench looking out at sea. A lighthouse vainly tried to piece the fog with it's bright beam, and every now and then a fog horn sounded.

"I think it's time." Misuto said. "He'll be leaving soon."

"Alright." Rose said. She stood up and caught Misuto as he transformed. She made her way up the narrow path along the cliffs. She reached the top, turned off the brightly lit main road and slipped into the dark back streets. The only light came from windows and occasional lamps.

Rose focused her Soul Perception as they approached their destination. They had left most of the town's inhabitants behind. On one side of the street was an asylum, which had some people inside. On the other was an old abbey behind a high wall. There was only one Soul in there. And it was red and corrupted.

Rose jumped and grabbed the top of the wall with her free hand. She swung herself up and over, landing on the overgrown grass on the other side. She approached the old chapel carefully, focused on the Soul which was lying in a pine box inside the ruined building. Cautiously, she tried the old wooden door. It was locked. But that wasn't a problem. She pointed Misuto at the lock, and an orb of Light appeared the tip of his blade. A beam shot out and hit the door. The lock came open with a loud click and the door swung open. Inside was pitch dark, but Rose' Soul Perception worked even in the dark. She approached the box silently.

Rose raised Misuto and brought him down, point first into the box. Misuto smashed into the lid, ripping it half open. But a hand broke through the pine and grabbed Misuto, halting him over the heart of the thing that lay inside.

Rose was surprised by the creature's strength, and even more so when it flung them both backward away from itself. The thing rose from the coffin, a pale old man with a hairy face, red eyes, and fangs. He hissed at them and hovered into the air.

"Vlad Tepes you have strayed from the path and become evil." Rose announced. "Your Soul is mine!"

Dracula flew at her with blinding speed. Rose simply held Misuto out in front of her, impaling the vampire through the left side of his chest. The Pre-Kishin fell backward, dissolving into nothing, and leaving only his red-glowing Soul behind.

…

Meanwhile, Stein was staying in a small town not far from Death City. He was the last of the team sent out to look for Medusa, and would be returning to the DWMA next morning.

Stein never knew what to do at times like these. He wasn't officially on an assignment, but without his lab and his experiments, he was bored. He knew what Spirit, and he supposed most people, would do with a free evening. Go to a bar, or perhaps a movie. But such things had never held in interest for Stein.

However it wasn't really boredom that had him on edge. What was bothering him tonight was the fact that neither his wife, nor his son would be waiting for him when he returned to Death City. He missed them.

It was strange. Even after all these years, Stein still marveled at times about truly caring for someone that wasn't lying on an operating table. He hadn't spent much time away from Marie since they had been married, not even on missions where she was always his partner. But she was in Oceania now, along with Jekyll. Jekyll, his son.

Stein wondered for the millionth time why he had ever agreed to have a son. Why he had willing cursed a child with his Madness. Jekyll had held it in for so long, until it exploded out of him in the form of an alternate personality. Now he was paying for it, and Stein was uncertain whether or not he would ever see his wife and son again. It was this that disturbed him more than anything else.

Stein stood up and idly turned the screw in his head. He decided to take a walk. He left his shabby hotel room and walked along the sidewalk to the intersection and turned, not really paying attention to where he was going. There was one more thing bothering him, quite apart from his concern over his family. Medusa.

Just her name was enough to make him shudder internally. The witch who had wormed her way into his innermost Madness and made him her slave. It was her Black Blood that had turned Jekyll into Hyde. For that, and many other reasons, Stein hated her and would gladly cut her into pieces as man times as it would take to ensure that she really was dead.

He also feared her. He did not know if would survive another encounter with the snake witch. Without Marie around, his Madness would be much harder to control. Even now, only a few weeks away from her, his desire to cut something open was almost overwhelming.

For now at least, he could control himself. What Stein feared was that contact with Medusa would awaken his Madness again, and render him a ruthless murderer. Turning down an alley, Stein noticed a young couple behind a trashcan.

He ignored them until he heard a scream. The woman, who had seemed at first to be embracing her companion, drew back with a tearing sound that Stein knew all too well. It was the sound of skin being ripped.

Blood spattered the ground as the young man fell to his knees, his throat torn open. The woman raised a hand to her blood-stained mouth, and bit through a finger, causing it too to start bleeding. She dripped her blood into the man's neck, and he shuddered and then stiffened.

As he watched, horrified Stein realized that the woman's blood was black. He gasped and stepped back. Both turned toward him at the noise, and he saw black veins standing out on their skin. The whites of their lifeless eyes had also turned black. They both lunged at him. Stein stepped forward and caught them both in the chest with Soul Force. Both went flying backward and into the wall.

Stein focused his Soul Perception on the pair of them. Even their Souls had black streaks running along them. Suddenly both bodies exploded into Black Blood, which splatted the alley, and covered Stein from head to toe. Stein was immensely grateful that he had no open wounds, and was hopefully not at risk of infection. Still he wasted no time in returning to his hotel room and washing off the horrifying liquid. He could no longer delay, Lord Death need to know about this immediately.

 **Now things are getting interesting, hopefully. Let me know what you think. And don't forget to check out UlixesEmotion's Kingdom-Eater tumblr for her artwork of this fic. Happy holidays!**


	15. Chapter 15

**A quick reminder that this is mostly anime-verse. So Crona is around. XD**

"She infected him with Black Blood?" Kidd asked. It was early the next morning, and Kidd had called an emergency meeting. Liz, Patty, Sid, Nygus, Spirit, Soul, Maka, Black*Star, Tsubaki, and Crona were all present in the Death Room, along with Kidd and Stein.

"Yes. The changes were immediate. His veins, and the whites of his eyes turned black. And his Soul changed as well." Stein went on.

"Blackening." Crona said quietly. Everyone looked around at him. ***** He blushed and looked down. "It-it's what Medusa called it when… I wasn't the only one she injected with Black Blood. Everyone else just turned black..."

"Evidently the Black Blood self-replicates." Kidd said. Crona nodded.

"It consumed them… They sorta melted into Black Blood, after-after a little while." There were gasps from around the room. "She said it was only Ragnarok that stopped it from happening to me..."

"And they attacked you Stein?" Cid asked.

"Yes, no doubt they were going to try and infect me as well." Stein replied. "But don't worry, I tested myself. I'm not infected."

"This isn't at all like our Black Blood." Soul said, looking at Maka, who nodded.

"Medusa's had time to improve." Nygus said. "And she's taken advantage of what previously was a problem with Black Blood. It infects quickly, by the sound of it. And if you inject a strong Soul Wavelength into the...Blackened. They explode into Black Blood."

"Which both denies us the chance to study them, and potentially infects whoever did it, if they've already been wounded." Kidd went on. "How very like her."

"It's a trap, custom made for the DWMA." Cid agreed. "Even using a Weapon partner against them could be dangerous. And attacking directly with a Soul Wavelength is out of the question."

"Medusa has declared war." Spirit put in. "I say we respond in kind."

"I'll kill her right now!" Black*Star announced.

"Black*Star, can you even find her?" Tsubaki asked. Black*Star ignored her.

"We need to quarantine all the surrounding cities." Kidd said, his tone now businesslike. "And Death City is on lockdown. The more time we waste, the more people become infected. Everyone, move!"

They all scattered quickly.

…

Rose and Misuto woke up to find a message on their apartment phone. It said that all school and businesses were canceled and that no one was to leave their homes unless ordered to.

"That can't be good. We only just got back and the city's on lockdown." Misuto said.

"No kidding." Rose agreed.

"I wonder what it is this time?" Misuto asked.

"It must be worse. It's not just a curfew, we're supposed to stay at home." Rose said.

"So what are we going to do?" Misuto asked, grinning.

"Go outside and see if we can find anyone else who isn't willing to just sit around." Rose replied, also grinning.

…

Soul and Maka were on Soul's motorcycle, heading for the next closest town. They had to get to the police or mayor and institute quarantine. They sped across the desert, leaving a tall plume of dust behind them.

"Damn that witch." Maka muttered. Soul felt her grip on his waist tighten.

"We'll kill her for sure this time." Soul shouted over the noise of the engine, trying to reassure her. Maka didn't say anything.

As they approached the town, Maka focused her Soul Perception on the inhabitants.

"No..." She said, her voice quavering. "No!"

Soul skidded to a stop and Maka jumped off the bike and ran toward the town. Her run turned into a walk, then she slowed and finally stopped. Her shoulders were slumped in defeat. Soul slid off his bike and hurried toward her.

As he reached her, Maka fell to her knees, and Soul felt more than saw her crying.

"We're too late." She said. "Their Souls. They're all already infected..." Every Soul in the town had black veins running through it.

Soul knelt beside her and hugged her. She put her head on his shoulder. After a moment, she stopped crying, and they both stood up.

"What now?" Soul asked. "Is there anything we can do for them?"

"I don't know..." Maka said. "Let's get back to Death City. Maybe Stein or Kidd can find a way to help them."

Soul nodded, and they both ran back to his bike, and they sped off back to Death City.

…

The same group reconvened in the Death Room.

"All of the surrounding towns have been completely, uh, Blackened." Kidd summarized. "The situation is spiraling out of control."

"I brought back one of the Blackened." Stein said. "He's completely immobilized, not a danger as long as we watch him. I have Clay and Red*Star ****** looking after him right now. I'm going to study his blood, and I might be able to come up with a cure. Or a vaccine."

Kidd nodded. "Then you should get started on that right away." Stein left without another word.

"Now, what's Medusa's next move?" Spirit asked.

"It's obvious." Sid said. "She's going to bring the infection here to Death City.

"I just wish we had Marie here." Nygus said. "Her healing wavelength might be a help."

"It would take too long to recall her from Oceania." Kidd said. "Can we think of anyone who does stand a chance? My Reaper body is probably immune to the infection"

"Me and Maka already have Black Blood." Soul said. "We might be immune."

"You might be." Kidd agreed, with some apprehension in his voice.

"It's a risk we're willing to take." Maka said resolutely.

"M-me too." Crona said.

"What about Tetsu and Banshee?" Liz asked.

"They probably have at least as much control over Black Blood as me and Ragnarok do." Crona agreed.

Neither Soul nor Maka looked very happy at this suggestion.

"I know you don't want to put them in danger." Sid said "But we really do need all the help we can get."

"You're right." Soul said after a moment. "I'll go get them." He quickly left the room.

"I hope you don't think you're leaving me out of this!" Black*Star shouted.

"Black*Star is fast enough, he can avoid being infected." Nygus said. "Sid is already dead, he doesn't have any blood to be infected."

"Alright. Weapons stay in Weapon form. Everyone else needs to stay inside." Kidd said. He paused for a moment then said. "Cid, organize a guard, then go get Rose."

"Alright." Cid said. He, Nygus, Maka, Black*Star, Tsubaki, and Crona all left the room.

…

Rose and Misuto were alone in the streets of Death City. It was near noon now.

"It doesn't look like anything's happening." Rose said.

"Anyone else breaking the rules?" Misuto asked.

"Let's see." Rose said. She focused her Soul Perception and started scanning the city. "Yes, Vlad and Elias just left their apartment.

"Let's go meet with them then." Misuto said.

They started moving back toward the apartment complex. Then Rose noticed someone else moving outside.

"There's someone else." Rose said. "Not a Soul I know. It looks like just an ordinary person."

"Well, we can't be the only people outside." Misuto said.

"Still there's something strange." Rose had stopped now. "Oh! About 50 Souls just moved outside. And they're all oddly the same..."

"You don't think it's Soul Protect?" Misuto asked, his voice was apprehensive.

"It might be, we have to check." Rose said. She changed direction and started toward the group of Souls. "The other Soul is moving toward the group."

"I hope Vlad notices. He can see Souls too." Misuto said, more to himself than to Rose.

As they approached the gathering of Souls, Rose watched as the first Soul she noticed moved in front of the crowd of Souls. They all seemed to be looking at her. Then she heard the voice of a woman.

"Soul Protect, release!" The 50 Souls all shifted. They all became streaked with black.

"What in Darkness?" Rose asked.

"What's wrong?" Misuto asked. But Rose was still watching. The first Soul was now moving away, very quickly.

Rose rounded the last corner and found 50 people staring inhumanly at her. All of them had black veins standing out on their skin, and the whites of their eyes had turned black.

 **This is the point where it become a zombie story. XD Sort of. Anyway stay tuned for more. Also don't forget to check out UlixesEmotion's Kingdom-Eater tumblr for her artwork of this fic. Happy holidays!**

 ***Let me handle this now. XD Crona has no confirmed gender, Atsushi Okubo himself has said so. I'm going to do what the official translations do and use male pronouns, when I need to. This is just for simplicity's sake, nothing else. I honestly don't care what gender Crona is, it's really beside the point of the character.**

 ****I know he's called Akane, but I like Red*Star more. XD**


	16. Chapter 16

The Blackened had surrounded Rose.

"What's wrong with them?" Misuto asked, tension in his voice.

"I don't know. It's almost like what happened to Jekyll." Rose said. "But it seems more intense somehow."

The Blackened closed in around her, staring at her with their black lifeless eyes. Those nearest lunged. Rose jumped and started running on the heads and shoulders of the crowd. As she approached the edge however, she felt cold hands grab at her ankles. They Blackened dragged her down among them, their teeth bared.

"Defend!" Rose yelled, and the Protect spell appeared around her, knocking away those who had a hold on her. Rose charged out of the crowd, but found herself trapped between them and a building.

"What now?" Rose asked.

"Attack them?" Misuto suggested. As one of the Blackened advanced toward her, Rose impaled it through the chest. It froze, then it exploded into Black Blood, drenching Rose and splatting the street.

"Ok, bad idea." Misuto said. Rose wiped Black Blood from her eyes, and then started to climb the building. The Blackened followed her up the side of the building. By the time Rose reached the top, they were climbing up from all sides. Rose made a running start and jumped for the next building. She managed to grab on with one hand and pull herself up.

Some of the Blackened started climbing back down their building and making their way toward her. Others turned their backs on her and started moving in the opposite direction, apparently looking for a new target.

"Something tells me we shouldn't let them spread." Misuto said.

"I think you're right." Rose agreed. "Gather!" She cast a Magnet spell over the street and the Blackened were drawn into it, piling on top of each other in mid-air.

It was then that Rose glanced around with her Soul Perception.

"There are more of them. All over Death City." Rose said, terrified.

"This is too much." Misuto said. "We can barely handle this group. How in Darkness can we protect the entire city?"

Then Rose noticed other Souls, Souls that did have black streaks running through them.

"There are other Weapons and Meisters trying to control the situation." Rose reported.

"That's something." Misuto said.

The Magnet spell had worn off and the Blackened had dropped to the ground in a pile. They had started to pick themselves up.

"We need to do something." Rose said.

"Maybe we should freeze them?" Misuto suggested. Rose cast a Blizzard spell, and a few of the Blackened froze solid.

"I don't know how long it will last." Rose said, apprehensively. Then she noticed a familiar pair of Souls approaching.

Vlad landed on the rooftop next to her, Elias held out in front of him.

"If it's cold ye' need, we can help with that." Elias said, cheerfully.

"Ve vill create a blizzard, that should hold them." Vlad announced.

"But can you freeze the entire city?" Rose asked.

"I vill try." Vlad replied. "Elias, it is time for Soul Resonance."

"Aye." Elias said. Rose watched at the two of them began to Resonate. The temperature of the air began to drop. A cold wind began to blow. Then Elias was covered in icy blue energy and Vlad raised him high into the air,

"Arctic Blizzard!" The two shouted in unison. The sky turned grey and snow began to fall in great flurries, kicked around by still faster winds which howled through the alleys of Death City. The crowd Blackened were at first up to their knees in snow, then the wind deposited a layer of ice over them that froze them in place.

Rose felt Misuto's spirits leap through their bond.

"I've got it." He said "We need to get to the others and have them lured all these things into once place, then Vlad and Elias can keep them frozen. At least for while."

"Sounds like a plan." Rose agreed. She started leaping from building to building, looking for another Weapon or Meister.

Before long they found Tetsu and Banshee engaging 100 or more Blackened at once.

"Come to help out?" Banshee asked, her weapon form giving her voice a metallic quality.

"Sort of." Rose said. "Vlad and Elias can keep these guys frozen if you can lure them to their location."

"Great, we'll just do that then." Said Banshee, sarcastically.

"Would you rather stay here?" Testu asked. "They're called the Blackened, by the way."

"Catchy." Misuto commented. "We're gonna' go tell everyone else."

"Ok." Tetsu said.

Rose and Misuto moved on and found Black*Star and Tsubaki next. They explained the plan.

"No way I'm gonna' let some students steal the spotlight!" Black*Star declared.

"But-" Misuto started.

"You can count on us." Tsubaki interrupted. "You know Black*Star, if you could lure all the Blackened in the city to Vlad and Elias, you'd be the biggest star of all."

"Alright!" Black*Star said. Then he climbed onto a high building and yelled at the top of his voice. "HEY ALL YOU STUPID ZOMBIES! IT'S ME, THE ONE AND ONLY BLACK*STAR. FOLLOW ME FOR ALL THE BRAINS YOU CAN EAT!"

Black*Star leaped back to the ground and took off toward the distant blizzard, a horde of Blackened at his heels. Rose and Misuto stared after him amazed.

"...I think he has the situation under control." Misuto said after a minute.

"Yeah probably." Rose replied.

"That Soul you saw earlier." Misuto said.

"Yeah, what about it?" Rose asked.

"Can you find it again? I think that person has something to do with this." Misuto said

"Yeah I can. You've got a good point." Rose focused her Soul Perception and scanned the city. "There it is. Looks like a human woman."

"Let's go see her, but discreetly." Misuto advised. Rose nodded and set off quickly but quietly along the street.

 **So very late. XD But I have an excuse! It's finals week for me, and I've been SUPER busy. But they're over now. I'll be uploading two chapters tonight, to make up for the one I missed on Sunday. And to make it up to you guys for being so late, there'll be another double update this Sunday. AND look out for a special bonus Christmas chapter, sometime this week or next. XD**

 **Don't forget to check out UlixesEmotion's Kingdom-Eater tumblr for her artwork of this fic. And I'd still love a beta for this story, if anyone's interested. Happy holidays!**


	17. Chapter 17

Rose and Misuto had followed the mysterious woman to a door with a sign on it. The sign said "DEATH CITY SEWER, MAINTENANCE TUNNEL 42."

"Great." Rose said. "We get to explore the sewers."

"Then let's make it quick."Misuto replied.

Rose opened the door and walked into the darkness, using her Soul Perception to navigate. Rose silenced her footsteps so that the woman would not hear them. The woman's movement also made no noise. The only sound to be heard was the drip of water, and occasional scuffle of rats.

They moved quickly through tunnels and down ladders, moving deeper and deeper under Death City. The tunnels become older and less maintained. Stone gave way to cracked and mossy brick. Rose had to move slowly to avoid slipping.

The darkness was suddenly broken by a torch that burned with purple fire.

"That's not natural." Rose said quietly.

They turned a corner and found a tunnel lined with more purple-burning torches.

"A hideout. Or a trap." Misuto speculated.

"Traps work both ways." Rose said, smirking. The torch lined tunnel gave way to a split that left them three different paths.

"Which way did she go?" Misuto asked.

"I can't tell." Rose said "She's too far ahead."

The middle and right paths were both lit by more torches. The left path was dark.

"Left?" Rose asked.

"Might as well." Misuto agreed.

Rose set off down the left fork. Now there were puddles of water on the floor, and Rose couldn't stop her footsteps from making noise. After what felt like a long time, though it may have only been five minutes, the tunnel opened up to a platform overlooking a maze of mossy walls. A ladder lead from the platform down into the maze.

"To Darkness with that." Rose said, getting slightly annoyed now. Ignoring the ladder, she jumped from the platform to the top of nearest wall of the maze. She continued leaping from wall to wall, looking for the exit. Misuto would have laughed if he didn't have the feeling they were about to meet trouble.

Suddenly Rose stopped, perched on top of a wall.

"Did you hear something?" She asked.

Misuto listened. There was a faint slithering sound. Then a drawn out hiss.

"Yeah..." Misuto said, apprehensively. Rose looked down. Something was moving along the floor of the maze.

The thing suddenly reared up, revealing itself to be a huge black snake with yellow markings on its underside. The gigantic sneak glared at them with its yellow vertical-pupiled eyes. The great triangular head swayed slightly, as though considering them, its forked tongue flickering. Without warning, it lunged.

Rose jumped backward and landed on the other side of the wall. The snake brought its head back quickly. Seemingly confused, it moved its giant head from side to side, tongue still flickering. Then it went back down on its belly, and they heard it slither away.

"That was close." Rose said.

"Can't we kill it?" Misuto asked.

"We probably should. I'd hate to think what would happen if that thing got to the surfaced." Rose replied. She jumped back up on top of the wall.

"It… doesn't have a Soul." Rose said after a moment. "No wonder it sneaked up on us."

"How is that possible?" Misuto asked. "How can it be alive?"

"Maybe it's a robot?" Rose suggested, only half seriously.

"Maybe." Misuto said. "We'll find out though. Keep going, it'll find us again."

Rose resumed jumping from wall to wall. And sure enough the huge snake suddenly reared in front of them. But Rose was ready for it this time. She side-stepped and jumped past the snake, slashing into it as she passed. Turning around, she saw the white of the snake's rib-cage showing though the gash she had cut in its side.

The sneak hissed angrily, and flailed in confusion. The torn skin began to flake away, revealing only an animated skeleton underneath.

"Kingdom Hearts." Misuto said in awe. "It's undead. No wonder it doesn't have a Soul."

The skeletal snake turned toward her and this time lashed out with its tail. Rose jumped forward landing next to it.

"Well we know what to do about that don't we?" Rose asked. A ball of light gathered at Misuto's tip. It grew larger and Rose fired the orb of Light up at the snake. It hissed in pain as the Holy spell collided with its skull. The great skeletal serpent turned and began to retreat up the path.

Rose followed up with another Holy spell, and this time it was too much for the wretched creation. The snake dissolved into dust, leaving only a hiss lingering in the air.

"This is way worse than we thought." Rose said. "That woman might be a necromancer."

"At least we have Light magic." Misuto replied.

"True, but we need to hurry now. Anyway she probably knows we're here by now."

Rose jumped back on top of the wall of the maze and resumed leaping from wall to wall. She quickly found the exit on the far side of the maze from which they had entered. Abandoning all notions of stealth, Rose took off down the corridor at top speed. The passage twisted and turned, and went deeper still underground.

She had to stop quickly as the corridor opened into a pit too deep to see down to the bottom. She teetered on the edge for a moment, before regaining her balance and taking a hasty step backward. She looked across the pit, and saw a door flanked by a purple-burning torch.

"She's there, in the room beyond that door." Rose said.

"Then we need to find a way to cross." Misuto replied.

Rose looked around, the room was otherwise featureless, and the pit was too far even for her to jump across.

"Magic?" Misuto suggested.

"What kind?" Rose asked.

"Can you do Arcane constructs?" Misuto asked. Rose shook her head.

"Dad's the one that can use Arcane magic." She said. "I'm stuck with Elemental."

Misuto considered for a moment. "Earth magic, can't you create platforms?"

"I'll try." Rose replied. "Earth!"

Nothing happened.

"Uh…" Misuto began, uncertainly.

"It didn't work properly." Rose explained. "I was going to raise the floor of the pit. But it doesn't seem to have a floor..."

"Ok, let's not go down and find out." Misuto said. "Water then Blizzard?"

"Worth a try." Rose agreed. "Water!"

A jet of water sprayed from her feet toward the distant ledge.

"Freeze!" The jet froze solid, creating a thin, slippery looking bridge most of the way across chasm. Rose slowly put one foot on the bridge. Then the next, taking very small steps. Inch by inch she made her way across the bridge. When she reached the end of the ice bridge, she leaped for the door, and landed on the narrow ledge next to it. Behind her, the ice bridge crumbled into the blackness below.

"Here goes." Rose said, glancing back at the pit, but putting her hand on the handle of the door. She slowly pulled it open.

 **That's all for today. See you on Sunday for another double upload!**

 **Don't forget to check out UlixesEmotion's Kingdom-Eater tumblr for her artwork of this fic. And I'd still love a beta for this story, if anyone's interested. Happy holidays!**


	18. Chapter 18

On the other side of the door they find a large dark room lined with pillars and unlit torches. The woman who they have been following is standing in the center. The woman spoke, and her voice was smooth, sadistic, and mocking. It also had an odd echoing quality.

"So you've finally caught up with me." It said.

"You're responsible for the Black Blood, aren't you?" Rose asked, glaring into the darkness.

"That's very rude of you, not even introducing yourself. Very well then I'll start. My name is Medusa."

Rose said nothing, but continued to glare at her.

"Didn't your parents teach you manners? It's polite to offer your name when someone else gives you theirs. But I suppose I already know your name. You're Rose, and your weapon's name is Misuto. "

Rose still said nothing. Medusa laughed.

"Very well. You're quite correct, Black Blood is my invention. And you've seen first hand how effective it is." They could hear the smirk behind her words.

"You created Hyde." Rose said, her voice icy. "As a Reaper, I will not allow you to use Souls as toys any longer. Your Soul is now mine."

Medusa laughed, a high merciless laugh.

"That's so adorable. Only 14 and you think you can kill me. Oh, of course, I'm still using my Soul Protect. Release!"

Medusa's Soul shifted. It turned purple and expanded to fill the chamber, arrows projected off of it from every direction. Rose realized that this was the Soul of a witch. But there was something off about the this Soul. The torches around the room started burning purple, illuminating the witch.

The torchlight revealed a horned and fanged skeleton, wrapped in black robes, and floating a few inches above the ground. Yellow magic burned in the empty sockets, and behind the skull had a high collar decorated with two large yellow snake eyes. She wore black bracelets on her bony wrists, a yellow snake-eye jewel had been set into her sternum. Chains were woven into the robes and hovered in the air around her. Medusa was no longer alive. She had become a lich.

Rose' father had once told her about lichs. They were witches or warlocks who had either died to chosen to die, and become undead through a special ritual. They gained necromantic powers in exchange for their life. Killing them had little effect other then to force them to find another Body. A lich's Soul was bound to its phylactery, and the only way to end a lich, was to destroy the phylactery.

"You're an offense against nature." Rose said. "Your Soul disgusts me."

"How very rude of you." Medusa's said. "Naughty children must be punished."

The chains floating around her suddenly lashed out at Rose. Rose dodged them, and their impacts left craters in the ground where they struck.

 **The 13** **th** **Reflection-Kingdom Hearts 2.5**

Rose dashed forward, but the chains had already moved to block her strike. Sparks flew as Rose swiped and stabbed at Medusa, each attack blocked by her chains. Medusa was laughing.

"Is that all you've got?" She asked. "How disappointing."

Rose back off and paused, considering. Then she pointed Misuto at the lich and shot 3 Fira spells at her. The chains deflected all three fireballs. Rose followed up with Lighting, which caused a bolt on drop on Medusa. She hovered aside as it struck, missing her by inches.

"My turn." Medusa said. She raised her bony hands and began to chant. "Nake snake obra cobra. Nake snake obra cobra. Vector Conversion!"

Black arrows burst through the walls and ceiling, all converging on Rose.

Rose shouted "Protect!" And a purple shield appeared around her, the arrows bouncing off of it.

"Vector plate!" Medusa said. An arrow appeared under Rose and she found herself being thrown toward Medusa, who's chains were being hold straight out. In less than a second, Rose would be impaled.

Thinking fast, Rose cast a Magnet spell in in front of her, and reversed its polarity. The chains, instead of being attracted to the spell, were instead repelled by it. Rather than being impaled, Rose simply slammed into Medusa at high speed. Both of them crashed into the opposite wall, cracking the brick and half burying themselves in it..

Rose recovered first and drew back Misuto, intending to run Medusa through. But her Body stopped working. She found herself standing back as Medusa extracted herself from the deep crater in the wall.

"Even in a Reaper like you, my Black Blood works perfectly." Medusa said. "You can't move a finger unless I command it."

Rose, of course, could not reply.

"I suppose you're wondering when you became infected with Black Blood.' Medusa continued. "It happened when you first attacked one of my Blackened. You still have its dried blood on your skin and clothes. As long as it's there I can control your body."

Rose could only glare at her. Or so it seemed to Medusa. Medusa could only control her Body. Not her Soul. Rose reached out, and began to Resonate with Misuto. Their Resonance grew stronger and stronger.

"Go ahead and Resonate, it won't do you any good." Medusa said, smugly. "As soon as you form an attack I'll just turn it back on you, and it's goodbye little Reaper girl."

Misuto began to glow with Light. The Light burned away the Black Blood on him, and he was now in control of himself. Six pillars of Light shot outward from the pair of them. The attack did nothing at all to Rose, but Medusa was thrown back into the wall again.

The cleansing Light broke the lich's concentration and Rose was able to move again. Rose quickly cast a Water spell that cleaned the Black Blood off of her. Medusa picked herself up again.

"No more games then." She said, her voice was no longer mocking, but deadly serious. She raised her bony arms, purple and black magic covering her fingers. With a movement like conducting an orchestra two handed, she summoned a dozen or so spectral snakes that surrounded Rose.

Rose smirked. Their Resonance was still going, and Misuto's glowing blade made short work of the ghostly serpents.

But Medusa wasn't done yet. She summoned more and more of her undead snakes. Some spat poison, others tried to constrict Rose in their ethereal coils. Rose dodged every attack and destroyed every phantom.

Medusa switched tactics and cast bolts of energy at the pair at the same time lashing at them with her chains. Rose was too fast, however and dodged easily. Now Rose went on the offensive, sparks flew as Misuto collided with the chains. Fire and Blizzard spells were went flying in every direction.

"Why don't you face facts?" Medusa asked over the noise. "Your best just isn't good enough. You're fast, but not fast enough. My magic far outclasses yours. I don't get tired in this body."

"Neither do I." Rose replied.

"Then this battle goes on until I decide to kill you." Medusa said.

"If you could kill me, you would have done it by now." Rose snapped.

"I have mastered Unholy magic you could only dream about." Medusa declared.

"That won't work on me." Rose retorted. "My Reaper Body is immune."

"Maybe." Medusa, her voice had gone back to mocking. "But your partner isn't." She raised a bony hand, glowing with green and purple energy, and Misuto suddenly turned back into his human form, screaming in agony.

 **Uh oh. XD And Medusa is up to her usual tricks, though she isn't quite alive. Anyway one more update today.**

 **Don't forget to check out UlixesEmotion's Kingdom-Eater tumblr for her artwork of this fic. And I'd still love a beta for this story, if anyone's interested. Happy holidays!**


	19. Chapter 19

Misuto writhed on the ground, screaming in pain, his body covered in purple and green energy. Medusa was holding out one bony hand, maintaining the spell. Rose fired a barrage of spells at her, but her chains blocked every single one.

"You monster!" Rose shouted.

"If you were stronger, you'd be able to stop me." Medusa said, smugly. "But you can't. You call yourself a Reaper, yet you deny your powers."

Rose could only stand there, watching, horrified.

"How pathetic." Medusa went on. "I think I'll kill you now."

One of her chains flew forward like a snake striking. It impaled Rose though the chest, and Rose slumped to the ground, blood leaking into a pool around her.

Medusa laughed her cold, merciless laugh. The sound echoed around the room.

"Oh, you're still alive?" Medusa asked, after a moment.

Rose didn't say anything. But her hand slow moved to grasp the chain that was still embedded in her body. Rose could barely think for the pain, but somehow, she cast a Thundaga spell. The spell traveled up the chain, even as Medusa realized what was happening and tried to withdraw it.

Medusa screamed in pain as electricity wracked her body. The pain of caused her to lose focus, and the spell that had been tormenting Misuto was broken. He lays still on the ground.

Rose had gotten to her knees. The chain was out of her body, but she still held on to it. She cast another Thundaga spell through the metal, and Medusa screamed again, and whipped the chain back, out of Rose' grasp. Rose slowly put a hand to the hole in her chest, and Light glowed from under her fingers as she healed the wound. She slowly stood up.

Medusa had recovered and was glaring at her, if a skeleton could glare. The yellow fire in her eyes burned more intensely than before.

"You got in a few lucky shots, I'll give you that much." The lich said in her echoing voice. "But it won't stop me from killing you. Vector Arrow!"

A swarm of black arrows flew at Rose. Rose jumped over them, and ran along them toward Medusa. Medusa shot another bolt of energy at her. Rose ducked and grabbed Medusa's robes.

"Soul Force!" She shouted. Then she shunted her Soul Wavelength into Medusa, along with the pain and anger in her Heart at what the lich had done to her best friend.

Medusa screamed and threw her off with her chains. But the attack had done its job. Medusa was hunched over, several of her ribs were cracked, and so was the left side of her skull.

"You'll pay for that!" Medusa screamed. "Vector Conversion!"

Rose yelled "Reflect!" But nothing struck the Protect spell.

Rose looked around confused. But Medusa's spell had not been aimed at her. The arrows from the wall and ceiling had converged at Misuto, and were now withdrawing from his now mangled and bleeding body.

"MISUTO!" Rose screamed, and she ran to him. Medusa was laughing, though it turned into a cough.

"E-even your healing magic can't s-ave him now." Medusa choked out. Rose knew she was right, she could feel Misuto's Soul slipping away.

Rose could no longer think. She could no longer feel. Something was welling from deep inside her. A power she had never felt before. It was...addicting. Medusa had been laughing, again, but she stopped as Rose stood up again. Darkness was swirling around her.

Black energy was gathering in her hand, and Rose suddenly stepped forward and plunged her hand into Medusa's ribcage, shattering the snake-eye jewel and rest of the lich's ribs in the process. The black energy spread form Rose into Medusa and across her body. Then the lich crumbled into dust.

The chains and Medusa's bracelets fell to the ground. Rose stepped back and looked around.

"I know you're not dead!" She yelled into the empty room. Rose picked up the chains, and they too crumbled into dust. But Rose could still see Medusa's twisted Soul.

She grabbed the bracelets, and knew that this was Medusa's phylactery. She could feel her Soul through the two bits of metal. The black energy tore them into dust as well.

Medusa's Soul had evaded even this, however, Rose felt it slip away even as the objects it was supposed to be bound to faded into nothing.

It was taunting her.

"How pathetic. Even jumped up on Darkness and you can't kill me. I am immortal!" It boasted.

Darkness faded away as Rose stared at Misuto, tears rolling down her cheeks. Was he dead? She could still feel a small spark of life within him. But she had never healed such a grievous wound before. And Medusa. Medusa still existed.

Rose put her hands together, the very air tingled with energy as Rose expanded her Soul outward. She didn't know what she was going to do. Medusa's Soul was retreating, afraid to touch hers. Rose concentrated even harder, pouring her grief into the effort. Her Soul caught up with Medusa's. Contact between them made Rose feel sick.

"Let me go!" The Soul screamed. "No! You wouldn't-" But Rose had decided. She was drawing Medusa back toward her now.

Energy was pouring from Medusa into Rose, and the disembodied Soul was shrinking, and screaming in agony.

"No! NO! I refuse to die!" But it was too late, and Medusa's screams faded away, and Rose absorbed the last of her Soul. Energy surged through her, but it was different than before.

Rose moved too fast to see, and was kneeling beside Misuto, and pouring the energy into him. She felt his Body healing and his fading Soul suddenly growing stronger.

After a moment, Misuto sat up, gasping for air. Rose collapsed beside him, sobbing.

"Rose?" Misuto said. He looked around, and saw her lying beside him. He put his arms around her, and raised her into a sitting position. She continued to sob into his shoulder.

"I'm sorry." Rose sobbed. "I-I'm sorry."

…

That was how Soul, Maka, Kid, Liz, and Patty found the two of them an hour later. Neither of them were saying anything, but Rose continued to sob dryly. Kidd gently picked her up off the ground and held her in his arms. She sobbed into his chest.

Misuto stood up, weakly. Patty put an arm around him. The group made their way back above ground.

 **Wow, that was heavy, man. Well that's the 2** **nd** **of today's chapters. Wednesday will also be a double upload, because I'll have a bonus Christmas chapter, which should be more cheerful. XD**

 **Don't forget to check out UlixesEmotion's Kingdom-Eater tumblr for her artwork of this fic. And I'd still love a beta for this story, if anyone's interested. Happy holidays!**


	20. Chapter 20

The next day, Rose woke up in the DWMA's dispensary. For a moment, she wondered how she had got there. Then the events of the previous day came crashing down on her. She almost started to cry again, but she controlled herself. Looking around she found Misuto in the next bed. He was awake, and was staring at the ceiling.

"Hey." Rose said, quietly. Misuto quickly looked around at her.

"Hey, are you alright?" He asked, concern in his voice.

"I think so." Rose said. "You?"

"I'm fine." Misuto replied.

They were silent for a moment.

"I'm sorry." Misuto said, after a minute.

"What for?" Rose asked.

"For being weak." Misuto replied.

"You're not weak!" Rose exclaimed.

"If I was stronger, Medusa wouldn't have-" But Rose cut him off.

"That's not your fault." She said quickly. "It's mine, if anyone's. I should have been able to protect you..."

"We were outmatched." Misuto went on. "What happened while I was out?"

"I-" Rose began. But she faltered. Then the door opened and Kidd, Soul and Maka came in.

"How are you doing?" Maka asked.

"Fine." Rose said, though she could tell that no one believed her statement.

"You'll be happy to know that Stein found a cure for the Black Blood infection." Kidd said. "Almost all of the Blackened have been restored. Except for those few who were killed while infected."

"Right." Rose said. She had killed one of them. Yet another guilty weight to add to the guilt she already felt.

"Do you wanna' tell us what happened down there?" Soul asked, sitting on her bed.

"I should, I guess." Rose said, hesitantly. She took a deep breath, and described how she and Misuto had followed Medusa down into the sewer beneath the city. How they had gotten past her traps and how Medusa had revealed herself as a lich.

"So I did kill her!" Maka said, excitedly. Everyone looked her. "Sorry. Please, go on."

"We fought." Rose continued. "But she was strong."

"She is a witch." Kidd said. "Rose you should have gone for help."

"That wasn't an option." Misuto said. "We were deep underground and we had her cornered. If we had retreated she would have escaped the city."

"Very well." Kidd said.

"She used some death magic." Rose went on. "But I'm immune to, of course. But Misuto..."

"Isn't." Misuto finished. "She started torturing me."

"And I couldn't do anything to stop it." Rose said, anger in her voice.

"I blacked out." Misuto said.

"Me and Medusa traded blows." Rose said, though this was simplifying, she did not want to go into anymore detail than she had too. "I got in enough hits to distract her. But then she went after Misuto again." There was a catch in her voice.

"Misuto almost died..." Her voice trailed away. Maka walked over and hugged her. After a moment Rose pulled herself together and continued.

"I...lost control." She admitted. Rose remembered Darkness flowing through her when she let her emotions take over. She remembered how good it felt, and that scared her almost as much as Misuto's injures.

"I killed her." Rose said. "I destroyed her undead body, and her phylactery. But she still didn't die." There were tears in her eyes now. "Then I-I absorbed her Soul, and used its energy to bring Misuto back to life..." She trailed off, sobbing into Maka's shoulder.

There was silence in the room as everyone took in her story. After a moment Kidd said.

"It wasn't your fault."

"Yes it was!" Rose said. "I used Darkness!"

"And good thing too, or I wouldn't be here." Misuto said.

"How can you say that?" Rose asked, horrified. "How can Darkness ever be a good thing?"

"Rose, Darkness and Light are not absolutes." Kidd said. "As a Reaper, you sometimes have to accept both."

"Darkness always takes over." Rose insisted. "I'm tainted now..."

Kidd sighed.

"No you're not." He said, patiently.

There was silence for a while. Rose managed to stop crying.

"Rose, you've been suppressing your Reaper abilities haven't you?" Soul asked. Rose nodded.

"Well that's going to change." Kidd decided.

"But what if I-" Rose began.

"You will if you don't learn to control them." Kidd interrupted. "You cannot suppress them. And if you keep trying, they will keep exploding out of you like they did yesterday. It's time you learned how be a Reaper, and I'm going to be the one to teach you."

Rose was silent for a moment, but then she nodded.

"Alright." Kidd said. "We'll let you get some rest then."

They all left. There was silence in the room for a long while. Misuto got up and sat on Rose's bed.

"I'm fine." He said, at the look of concern on her face. "I'm not injured anymore." He smiled at. Rose threw her arms around him.

"Misuto, I was so worried." She said, her voice shaking. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you..."

"Then I'll never leave you." Misuto promised, returning the hug.

…

A few days later Rose and Misuto returned to their lessons. Somehow, they found it easier to Resonate than before. Rose was hesitant at first, afraid that somehow her Soul had changed. But their Harmony was stronger than ever. After lunch, Soul came over to where they were practicing.

"Lord Death wants to see you in the Death Room." He told them. "Just you, Rose."

Rose and Misuto exchanged glances.

"Time for you trained." Soul said, with his characteristic shark-toothed grin.

"I'll see at home then." Misuto said.

"Yeah." Rose said. She headed off back toward the school. She was nervous. She didn't know what to expect, or if she would be able to control her powers at all.

When she arrived in the Death Room, she found the platform cleared of its usual mirror, and Kidd standing in the center, alone.

"How are you feeling?" Kidd asked.

"Better." Rose said, which was partially true.

"That's good. These lessons will require all of your focus." Kidd said. Rose nodded. "Now like me you are a Reaper, but you seem to be a different, er variety. You don't possess the Lines of Sanzu for instance."

"The Lines of what?" Rose asked. Kidd pointed to the three white lines on his hair.

"When I was younger" Kidd explained. "These lines didn't go all the way around my head. It was, infuriating at times, being so asymmetrical. But I digress. When I become a fully-fledged Reaper, my lines connected."

"Right." Rose said.

"But you don't seem to have as clear a metric." Kidd went on. "And it is safe to say that we don't posses the same set of powers. To be honest, I'm not entirely sure how to go about this."

"That makes two of us." Rose put in.

"But there are something we have in common. First we will examine the flow of life energy that exists within every living being."

 **I don't know how to end this. So we end here. XD Sorry I'm late. No excuse this time, I'm just lazy. XD Anyway I know I said I'd have a bonus Christmas chapter up, us yesterday. But I need to come up with a new idea, because the old one is long enough for its own fic. (Which I might right, if you guys want). So I'll post that at some point. XD Before Christmas, I promise.**

 **Don't forget to check out UlixesEmotion's Kingdom-Eater tumblr for her artwork of this fic. And I'd still love a beta for this story, if anyone's interested. Happy holidays!**


	21. Chapter 21

Winter passed into spring. Rose was slowly learning how to be a Reaper. She was reluctant, but Kidd was patient. Then the Heartless returned.

Rose and Misuto were walking home from school, when a dozen Heartless appeared in the square around them.

"Heartless?" Rose asked, as Misuto transformed. "I thought we were done with them?"

"Apparently not." Misuto said. "I've never seen these types before."

Two types of Heartless faced them. One type looked like Soldiers, but larger, and colored black with white bone patterns. The second were bell-shaped, like a Yellow Opera, but black with purple stripes.

"I guess it was only a matter of time before we some types unique to this world." Misuto commented.

The Heartless closed in. One of the Bone Soldiers, as Rose decided to call them, began the usual spinning kick. Rose ducked the attack, but found a small cyclone heading toward her from where the Heartless landed.

"They have some new abilities." Misuto observed.

Rose gripped Misuto tightly, then swung him in a quick 360 arc. The circle of Bone Soldiers dissolved into black and purple mist. But the bell-shaped Heartless, Ebons Lament she decided, began to sway back and forth, actually making a deep sonorous ringing sound, and leaving grey magic dust floating down in their wake.

The dust floating down to where the Bone Soldiers had been, and a second later, in a grey flash, the circle of Heartless had been resurrected.

"That's...really annoying." Misuto said.

"Firaga!" Rose shot a huge fireball at on of the Laments. The Heartless absorbed the attack.

"Blizzard!" A second Heartless absorbed the giant icicle that Rose had conjured.

"Their immune to magic, too." Misuto told her. Rose thought he was probably right. But she had wasted too much time.

The circle of Bone Soldiers all made their spinning kicks toward her. Rose blocked them with a Protect spell, and had to cast it again to stop the wave of cyclones that followed up. The purple orbs of re-directed energy destroyed the Bone Soldiers, and this time Rose didn't wait for them to be brought back. With three quick leaping strikes the Ebon Laments too dissolved into black and purple mist.

"Is that all of them?" Rose asked. A scream from the next street answered her question, almost as soon as she asked it. Rose jumped over the dividing buildings and landed on the cobble. Standing up and turning toward the sound of running feet, she saw a crowd of people fleeing an armada of floating Heartless.

Here was another new type, they resembled white pillars with small orb-faces set into the base. They were shooting bolts of black lighting at the fleeting crowd, and some were slamming into the ground and creating shockwaves of purple fire. Bone Towers, Rose decided to call them.

"Ready?" Rose asked.

"When you are." Misuto answered.

"SOUL RESONANCE!" They both shouted. Their Resonance came easier than before, and soon Mistuo's blade was covered in light, and was long enough that she could cover the entire street with one sweep.

"Duck!" Rose shouted at the oncoming crowd. They did so, some tripping and rolling onto the cobble. Rose ran at blinding speed into the cloud of approaching Heartless. With one long slice, Misuto's blade whipped through the Bone Towers.

Not one escaped the attack, and for a moment the street was covered in black and purple fog. Then it faded away, leaving no trace of the Heartless. The crowd got to its feet, looking around in awe at Rose and Misuto, who's blade had returned to normal.

"Why are there so many of them all of a sudden?" Rose asked.

"Whoever's controlling them must have deiced to take action." Misuto concluded.

"Then we need to find them, quickly." Rose said. She began to scan the city with her Soul Perception, looking for any Soul that did not belong.

…

Outside the city, in a cave at the edge of the desert, two figures stood in the shadows and stared at the distant Death City.

"At last, the time for our revenge has come." Said the smaller of the two, by far. A short Grey-haired man in a suit and top hat.

"Let me go in, I'll tear the city down!" Exclaimed the other, who had spiked hair and large brown gloves. He took a drink from a flask at his hip.

"Patience." Said the shorter one. "We'll let our Heartless pets soften them up first. A long day and night of fighting will make them easy prey. If our special project doesn't finish them off at midnight, that is."

The Giriko grumbled something in response.

"Lady Arachne." Said Mosquito, looking up at the sky. "By noon tomorrow you will be avenged, I swear it.

…

Rose could find no Soul out of the ordinary. What she did find were yet more Heartless in every direction.

"We have our work cut out for us." She told Misuto as she set off toward the next group.

"How many do you think there are?" Misuto asked.

"Too many, the whole city is full of them." Rose replied. "But the other students are already evacuating the civilians."

"A shame there aren't more Keyblades." Misuto went on. "Then we wouldn't have to handle them all by ourselves."

"I'm not a Master." Rose said. "I don't have the right to just go performing Inheritance Ceremonies willy-nilly."

"You're technically capable of it." Misuto commented.

"Even if I wanted to," Rose said as she ran down the cobbled street. "most people who are worthy already have a Weapon Partner."

"I know." Misuto said. They went on in silence for a while.

They turned a corner and found the largest crowd of Heartless either of them had ever seen. They filled the square and leaked into the surrounding streets.

"Sephiroth's Wing." Misuto said, under his breath.

"Language." Rose scolded. But she couldn't help but agree with him. "Ready?" She asked again.

"Yes." Misuto said.

"SOUL RESONANCE!" They both shouted again. Then Rose charged into the frey.

…

It was hours later, and long after sunset. The last group of Heartless faded away. Rose a Reaper, and didn't get tired easily. She had exerted herself for longer without showing it. But Soul Resonance seemed to take its toll, or maybe it was the presence of the Heartless, weighing on her Heart and Mind for so long.

Misuto had actually fallen asleep, but he continued to Resonate with her anyway. She didn't like to think the toll this was taking on his Body. But what choice did they have?

The moon was hanging directly overhead. Rose could find no further trace of the Heartless, except for that pricking uneasiness that she always felt when they were around. She wanted to go to bed, but how could she when there were still Heartless around.

The presence grew stronger, and Rose quickly looked around. She knew a very powerful Heartless was approaching her. She heard a rhythmic pounding of heavy feet behind it. She turned around.

The Heartless leaped and perched on top of the pointed roof of a building. It's huge, hairy form was framed against the moon. It threw back its huge head and howled.

 **Sorry this is late. I've kinda' lost the drive to write lately. I need to get over that. XD Anyway, there'll be another regular chapter today, and the Christmas special I promised, which will take place during the time skip I put in at the beginning of this chapter. Oh, and merry late Christmas, if you like. XD**

 **Don't forget to check out UlixesEmotion's Kingdom-Eater tumblr for her artwork of this fic. And I'd still love a beta for this story, if anyone's interested. Happy holidays!**


	22. Chapter 22

The Heartless crashed down onto the street a few yards away. It was a huge wolf-like humanoid. It had black fur with grey ridges running down its back and along its arms and legs. Hands and feet were both tipped with claws as large as daggers. Its tail had been severed near the base, and its eyes were mismatched. The right eye was beady and yellow, like most Heartless. It's left eye was red, and was missing the eyebrow. It also wore shackles on its wrists and ankles. A large Heartless symbol decorated the grey fur on its chest.

 **Vim and Vigor-Kingdom Hearts 2.5**

It stared at her, sniffing the air. Then it howled again. Rose gripped Misuto tighter.

"What's going on?" Misuto had apparently woken up. "That's a new one."

The Heartless charged at her on all fours. Rose jumped back and pointed the ground.

"Freeze!" The blizzard spell froze the ground in front of the charging lupine. But the ice did not seem to bother it it continued to lope forward.

"Not good. Protect!" Rose cast the spell just as the great claws descended on her. The beast paused, confused that it couldn't penetrate the barrier. It flinched as the energy of its attack was directed back at it, but recovered quickly, and kicked at the spell hard.

The barrier broke, and Rose was sent flying back into a building.

"He's strong." Rose said. "Firaga!" She sent a giant fireball at the Heartless. It made contact, and the Heartless burst into flames. It looked down at its flaming paws, then it cast a spell that made caused a flurry of snow to blow into the square. It leaped into a snow bank, dousing the flames.

"It can use magic?" Misuto asked, incredulously.

The Heartless sent a whirl of snow toward them. Rose countered with a wall of fire. Even before the fire had faded, Rose was running toward the creature at blinding speed. She made a quick flurry of slashes and swipes that would have destroyed any lesser Heartless. But this one just looked around in confusion as though someone had tapped it on the shoulder.

"So magic doesn't work." Said Misuto as Rose came to a halt. "And neither do physical attacks."

The huge wolf turned to face them. It raised its claws and a line of ice spikes shot out toward them. Rose cut them into chunks with one swipe. The Heartless charged at them again, this time holding a huge sphere of ice, intending to crush them beneath its weight.

Rose hurled Misuto at the ice sphere and it exploded into a thousand sharp fragments. Misuto ended up embedded in the ground behind the huge wolf. Ice shards rained down upon it, but it didn't seem to bother it anymore than any of Rose's other attacks.

 _Time to try out something new._ Rose decided. She took up a stance that Misuto had never seen before.

"Reaper Art: Mortal Sin Stance." Rose said. Light gathered in her hands and spread to the tips of her fingers.

The wolf charged again, but Rose was ready for it. Her hands shot out at blinding speed. She landed 10 blows at various points on the creatures Body. Not that it was a normal human, it would have killed it if that was the case.

The creature yowled in pain as the Light burned through his fur. Rose quickly yanked Misuto out of the ground and shot a beam of Light at it, which hit it squarely in the back. It roared and fell to the ground. Rose knew that the fight wasn't over, but at least she had done some damage.

The huge wolf-like humanoid got up and gave a look as though it was impressed. Which was strange, Heartless weren't supposed to have emotions. It bared its huge claws and ripped open a portal, which it jumped through.

"Not just Ice, but Space magic too." ***** Misuto said. "Behind you!"

Rose turned around in time to block the huge claws as they appeared out of another portal. The beast retreated and was gone. Rose focused her Soul Perception. It was hiding in a pocket dimension, she guessed. But she would feel its Darkness leaking through the portal milliseconds before it emerged itself, which was long enough for her.

There it was! Rose moved forward a few feet and slashed at it, even as it returned to this dimension. It leaped back and glared at her with its mismatched eyes. Then it cast another spell. It disappeared, but quickly reappeared with 12 clones in a circle around her.

"This is bad." Rose said, staring around.

They all closed in on her at once. Rose dodged every swipe, but it was a close thing. She swiped Misuto at one of them, but he went straight through.

"They're illusions!" Misuto exclaimed. "Find the real one!"

Rose realized he was right. She dashed straight through the clone she had tried to attack and managed to escape the circle. The group of Heartless turned to face her. Rose focused her Soul Perception again. It was difficult to see which was the real one, as not even it possessed a Soul. But Kidd had taught her that Soul Perception could work even against things that were not alive. It was like seeing a void where a Soul should have been. She located the real one and shot another beam of light at it.

The clones vanished as it howled in pain and rage again.

"Let's finish this." Rose said.

"Alright." Misuto replied.

"SOUL RESONANCE!" They had already Resonated so many times that day, and Rose wasn't sure how long they could keep it up.

The wolf charged at her again. Rose swiped at as it past, and Misuto's glowing blade severed one its arms at the elbow. It roared even louder than before and leaped backward.

"We can hurt it!" Misuto exclaimed.

The wolf-like Heartless howled and sent huge icicles raining down on Rose. Rose destroyed them in mid air with strikes too fast to see. She walked forward slowly, the ice shards forming a dome around her as she continued to defend herself from the magical assault.

The creature backed against a building as Rose approached. It was almost pitiful to see if desperately trying to defend itself. Then Rose reminded herself that this was a Heartless, as evil as can be. She drove Misuto into the dark creature, right where the Heart should be. It howled one last time before dissolving into nothing.

Rose quickly cut off their Resonance, trying to give Misuto the chance to rest. But he had already gone back to sleep.

Rose wanted nothing more than to join him, fall asleep right there in the street. But more Heartless appeared around her. With a sigh, she moved once more into the fray.

…

"It is nearly time." Mosquito said to Giriko. "The sun is nearly up, and when it is, you will lead the charge to tear down the gates of that accursed city."

"About time!" Giriko exclaimed. "I can't wait to start tearing things apart." He took another drink from his flask.

"Soon, my lady." Mosquito said quietly to himself. "Very soon."

 **I promise I'll get back to my regular schedule on Sunday. In the meantime tell what you think.**

 **Don't forget to check out UlixesEmotion's Kingdom-Eater tumblr for her artwork of this fic. And I'd still love a beta for this story, if anyone's interested. Happy holidays!**

 ***At this point, I've all but yelled at you who's Heartless this is. XD Leave a review or PM me and I'll tell you if you're right.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Warning: This chapter contains Giriko. Look out for (** **swooning fangirls)** **additional language and themes.**

It was dawn the next morning and Rose and Misuto had been out all night fighting the army of Heartless that had appeared.

Misuto had not so much gone back to sleep as he had passed out from exhaustion. Rose could still wield him like this, but she did not like too. Still what choice was there? And maybe the Heartless would go away after this…

Rose was tired too, too tired to Resonate, even if Misuto was awake. She wanted to sleep, more than anything else at the moment. But there was still that nagging presence in the back of her Heart that meant there were Heartless around. They were near the main gate now. Rose glanced out at the desert sand, lit by the rising sun.

In the distance was another squad of Heartless led by a taller figure. Rose sighed and focused her Soul Perception on the approaching person. She was surprised to see a Weapon. One that was corrupted and had devoured many innocent Souls. Even more surprising was that this Soul was more than 800 years old.

Rose decided it was high time this Soul died. She was not normally so...ruthless. But the long night had out her in a bad mood, and Kidd had installed in her a sense of duty, as a Reaper it was her job to end lives that were twisted like that.

…

"It is our sacred duty to maintain balance in this world. We alone have the power to decide who lives and who dies." Kidd had told her. Rose swallowed, uncomfortably.

"Our sessions have convinced me of one thing, however." Kidd went on.

"What's that?" Rose asked.

"That you are a far more powerful Reaper than I." Kidd said, looking her straight in the eyes.

"How? That can't be." Rose said looking down.

"I don't know." Kidd said, looking thoughtful. "There are other worlds, you say?"

"Many, many, other worlds." Rose said.

"It seems I am Reaper here, the Souls of this world are my responsibility." Kidd went on. "Perhaps my power is proportional to the number of Souls in my charge. And your world may simply have more Souls."

"I guess." Rose said. "I mean, you're probably right about the...proportionality of it. But my world is much smaller than this one." Kidd was silent for a moment.

"Then perhaps you are Reaper of more than one world." He said after a moment.

"How though?" Rose asked.

"I don't know." Kidd answered. "But I know this. My powers are limited. Yours are not. If you wanted, you could probably kill anyone with a single thought...Even me."

Rose felt her insides go cold.

"Well I would never..." She said, quietly.

"I know that." Kidd said, smiling reassuringly.

At the end of the lesson, Rose left with that chill still insider her. Could she really be that powerful? One thing was sure, she would never use that kind of power. Ever.

…

As Rose watched the approaching figure, she decided now was the time for another power. Still one she didn't want to use, but it was very minor in comparison.

Rose reached out as Kidd had taught her. As a Reaper, she could harness what Kidd called life-force. A power that all living beings, all worlds gave off. Separate from magic, or Light or Darkness, only a Reaper could use it. Rose tapped into it now, and used that power to heal and refresh her Body and Soul. Then she did the same to Misuto. She wanted to let him sleep, but from how powerful the Soul before her was, they would need to Resonate.

"Is it over?" Misuto asked.

"I'm afraid not." Rose said. "Sorry to wake you, but we're in for another tough fight."

"Don't worry about it." Misuto said. "I'm wide awake, I feel great."

"Good, because here he comes." Rose said.

The figure had reached them. He turned out to be a skinny man with ginger hair, a white shirt with a blue stripe, and large brown gloves with some kind of mechanism built into them.

"Time to tear the DWMA down!" The man yelled. Then he spotted Rose and Misuto. "And you two will be the first I rip into bloody shreds."

"That's hardly polite." Rose said, contempt in her voice.

"Oh, and who are you to correct my manners!?" The man yelled.

"My name is Rose, one-star Keyblade Meister. Who are you?"

"I'm Giriko, malcontent weapon." Giriko said. Then he shook his head violently. "What the hell am I doing being nice?! I came here to kill people and destroy things. Yeah that sounds nice."

"You will die before that happens." Rose said, glaring at him.

"Oh yeah? We'll see about that!" Giriko yelled. "Kill her!" He said to the Heartless.

Rose dispatched the Heartless with one careless stroke as they approached her.

"Time to get my engine running!" Giriko shouted. There was a loud noise like a motor starting up and something starting shining around him. Rose felt a wave of murderous intent that rippled outward from his Soul. He poised himself on one leg, raising the other high.

"Triple Speed Saw Leg!" he yelled, before running forward and aiming a kick at her head. Rose blocked, and hear Misuto shout in pain. Rose quickly ducked backward.

"Are you ok?" Rose asked.

"I think so." Misuto said. "But please don't do that again."

"Right, sorry." Rose said. Giriko was laughing.

"Not so cocky now you can't block, are ya'?" He asked before attacking again.

"Protect!" Rose shouted. Giriko's chains ground against the Barrier spell before the redirected energy sent him flying back.

"What the hell!?" He asked from the ground. "That's not fair, using magic like that."

Rose smirked at him, but didn't say anything.

"Stop grinning like that. I'll slice that look off your stupid face!" Giriko got up and looked around at the Heartless. "Kill her!"

Once more, Heartless surrounded Rose. Once again, Rose cut them down with one strike. Giriko stared at her, dumbfounded.

"Well there's nothing for it." He said. "The old man said to be careful about how I used this. But honestly, I can't wait to try it out." Giriko held his arms out and started growling. The growl turned into a yell as Darkness exploded around him.

Rose stared at him, horrified. She felt again that delicious sense of power that the Darkness had caused in her. She quickly pushed that feeling again.

"That feels _good_!" Giriko yelled. "I could get used to this!"

"You are a pawn of the Darkness." Rose told him.

"Who cares?" Giriko asked. "Time to cut you up." He raised his leg again and came at her faster than before.

Rose didn't have time to cast any magic, so she had to dodge. Each missed attack shook the ground and left a crater on impact.

"How long can you keep this up?" Giriko asked, his voice becoming distorted by the Darkness he was wielding.

Rose finally found an opening and hit him an open-palm blow to the sternum. Normally Rose wouldn't use all of her strength, but this time she didn't hold back. Even so, Girko was only moved backward a few feet.

"You'll have to better than that!" Giriko said, moving to attack her again.

But Rose had all the time she needed to cast a spell.

"Moon!" Here was spell she rarely used. Rose felt her pulse quicken, the edges of her vision turned red. Blue moonfire cloaked her and Misuto. Rage burned in her, but she controlled it.

"Eh?" Giriko asked. "Whatever. DIE!"

He came at her again, but the spell allowed Rose to outspeed him again, and the protection from the moonfire allowed her to block again.

"What the hell?" Giriko asked again.

Blue and yellow sparks flew in all directions as they exchanged blows and blocks. Rose managed to knock him off balance and Giriko hopped backward on one foot.

"Earth!" Rose said, planting Misuto into the sand. She ripped him out and shockwave was sent ripping outward throwing Giriko back 10 feet.

Rose didn't give him to time to react, but stepped forward at blinding speed. She dealt him 13 quick blows and stopped behind him. The Moon spell faded away.

Giriko hit the ground. But then he started laughing. He got up.

"That hurt." He said, turning to face her. "You might actually be a challenge after all. But it's only a matter of time before- What is it!?"

He turned to face a Bone Soldier that had tapped him on the shoulder. The Heartless sank its bony claws into Giriko's chest, clearly intent on stealing his Heart.

Rose shook her head. She knew this would happen. Anyone who tried to use the Darkness, let alone command the Heartless, was doomed to be consumed by it.

"That tickles." Giriko said. Then something strange happened. The Heartless was suddenly sucked into his chest.

" _Ahh_." Giriko said. "That was good. I didn't know I could eat these things."

He lifted a hand and called out. "Hey, Heartless!"

A troop of Heartless appeared around him. Before Rose could react, Giriko had moved to the center of the group, and black tendrils were snaring each Heartless, dragging them in.

"Yes!" Giriko screamed as he absorbed the Heartless one by one. "Give me more!"

Rose stared, horrified at the dark deed she was witnessing, unable to move. She felt a moment of pity as the Heartless clawed at the ground, trying futilely to escape their fate.

Then Giriko had absorbed the last of the Heartless he had summoned.

" _Ohh, that was soooo good!"_ Giriko shouted, ecstasy in his voice.

For a moment, nothing happened. The the ground began to shake violently, Darkness exploded out of Giriko again, much larger then before. It began to bubble around him and he let out a joyous scream as black and purple mist covered him.

"THIS IS REAL POWER!" He shouted ecstatically.

Then the huge cloud of Darkess was drawn into him and his eyes were glowing yellow. A dark shape started blossoming out of his left shoulder. It grew larger and larger and formed a great muscled humanoid with red eyes and armor made of blackness. Giriko started turning into grinding gears and whirling cogs, then he had become light and was moving into the dark figure's outstretched hand.

Rose now saw this his true form was that of a huge chainsaw, Darkness bubbling off of him. His Darkness had manifested as wielder, a golem of Darkness that had waves of black energy rippling off of it. It roared at her, and Rose realized that the true fight had just begun.

 ***Sigh* Giriko will be Giriko. Should I bump this up to M? Let me know. Anyway for those of you using a Gregorian calendar, HAPPY NEW YEAR! (insert fireworks and noisemakers) The Christmas special I promised will be coming tomorrow. Sorry it's so late, but it's been a long time since I wrote anything fluffy.**

 **Don't forget to check out UlixesEmotion's Kingdom-Eater tumblr for her artwork of this fic. And I'd still love a beta for this story, if anyone's interested. Happy holidays!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Here's the Christmas special I promised...last year. XD Sorry about that. I'm not shooting for any length here, so it'll go on as long as it goes. Enjoy the fluff!**

It was a few days before Christmas. The DWMA was out on winter vacation, so there were no classes. Rose and Misuto had little to do. They were almost bored.

They were spending most of their time in their apartment. It was fairly small, consisting only of a living room, kitchen, bathroom, and two bedrooms. The living room had something called a TV, which was a source of great confusion to both of them.

After about 10 minutes they figured out that they could turn it on and watch shows or movies. Most of the channels yielded programs which were both boring or depressing. Some were confusing, or downright irritating.

Rose and Misuto quickly gave up on TV. They spent most of their downtime talking or reading, or else outside exploring the city. Misuto also played a guitar, an old and rather battered instrument that had been a gift from Rose' father. The finish was chipped and scratched in a few places, but it sounded beautiful. Misuto's talent extended to a few equally old songbooks, but Rose said that she enjoyed his playing and that was enough reason for him to keep practicing.

At the moment he was playing an old folk song from their island home, in an attempt to ward off the chilling wind that was rattling against the windows. Rose was reading a paperback, but also tapping in time with the gentle, cheerful melody.

" _Underneath the Paopu Tree_

 _My honey and me can watch for the moon_

 _Underneath the Paopu Tree_

 _My honey and me we'll get married soon"_

 _Underneath the moonlit sky_

 _My honey and I can sit hand in hand_

 _Underneath the moonlit sky_

 _My honey and I draw shapes in the sand"_

 ***** Rose remembered that her father used to play that song, though she had not heard it for many years. She recalled seeing her parents on the porch of their house and her father was playing that song. Probably on that very same guitar. As Misuto finished the song, Rose spoke up.

"Where did you learn that song?" She asked looking. Misuto hesitated.

"From a music sheet someone left in my guitar case." He said. "I only found it when we unpacked here. Why, do you know it?"

"Maybe." Rose said, looking back down at her book. Misuto noticed her face was slightly red.

Misuto started on another song.

" _You came to me, one summer night."_

Without realizing it, Rose found herself singing along.

" _And from your beam, you made my dream"_

It was halfway through the song before Rose realized what she was doing. She blushed again but did not stop. They finished the song, Misuto singing backup, and Rose singing lead. Somehow, they sounded nice, they even managed to almost harmonize. Or maybe that's just how it sounded to Rose.

They both giggled when the song finished.

"You'd think we're in a bad romantic fan fiction." Rose said.

"Actually," Misuto replied. "I kinda' liked it.

…

The next day Rose and Misuto were out in the city and encountered Vlad and Elias, as well as Rejii and Ikari. Irkari was crying, though this wasn't an usual occurrence. She seemed sadder than usual.

"What's wrong Ikari" She asked, concerned. Ikari was too busy crying to speak, but Rejii answered for her.

"She's just a little homesick." He said, trying to reassure Rose and comfort his sister at the same time. "Where we come from, it always snows this time of year, but we've been in Death City for 2 years now."

"Oh, I understand." Rose said. "I miss home too, sometimes."

"It never snows there." Misuto said.

"You mean you two have never seen snow?" Elias asked, incredulously.

"Nope." Rose said.

"Well we'll have to fix that." Elias said, with a grin.

"I did not think you 'vere powerful enough to make it snow in a desert." Said Vlad, looking skeptical.

"Maybe not." Elias said, still grinning. "But I'll call in a favor from my cousin, Jack. You'll see. Tomorrow morning you won't recognize the place."

Ikari finally stopped crying at this.

"This should be interesting." Misuto decided.

…

The next morning Rose woke up shivering. Which was odd, even in the winter it had never gotten that cold before. She got out of bed with her blanket draped around her and went into the kitchen to make tea. Misuto joined her a few minutes later.

"Morning." He said, putting two slices of bread in the toaster.

"Good morning." Rose said smiling at him.

They were halfway through their breakfast before either of them bothered to glance out of the window. When she did, Rose almost chocked on her tea. Coughing she said.

"Misuto, look out the window!"

Misuto glanced up at her coughing, looking concerned, then he looked at the window. Snow was drifting down from the sky, building up on the window sill.

"Well look at that, Elias did it." Misuto said. He and Rose exchanged an excited glance before running out of the apartment, abandoning their breakfast.

They hurried downstairs and to the front door of the complex. But when they opened it, a mound of snow collapsed in through the door. They shut the door quickly and hurried to the second floor. Looking down at the street, they saw that Death City was buried under at least 10 feet of snow. It was their fist snow, but they couldn't get outside to enjoy it.

"He did it a little too well." Rose said, dejectedly. "I guess we'll have to wait for a plow."

"Rose, this is Death City." Misuto said. "I doubt anyone owns a snow shovel, let alone a plow."

"You're probably right." Rose said. "Another day inside I guess."

The snow continued to fall at an increased as the day progressed. At sundown the complex was up to its third floor in snow. By night, a blizzard was blowing around them.

Rose and Misuto were huddled under blankets on the couch, shivering. Their apartment had only a small heater unit, and it was nowhere near strong enough to keep out the evening's chill. It was so cold, Misuto couldn't even play his guitar.

"Now I wish we had a fireplace." Misuto said through chattering teeth.

"I'm going to speak to Lord Death about better heating equipment." Rose decided.

They sat in silence for a moment.

"There is one thing we can do." Misuto said.

"What's that?" Rose asked.

Misuto threw his blankets over Rose, then crawled under them and put his arms around her. Rose blushed.

"You could have warned me." She said, embarrassed.

"Want me to go away?" Misuto asked, grinning.

"No way." Rose admitted. They sat in silence for a moment, warmer at least then they had been before.

After a while, Misuto started singing again, seemingly without realizing it.

" _Underneath the Paopu Tree_

 _My honey and me can watch for the moon_

 _Underneath the Paopu Tree_

 _My honey and me we'll get married soon"_

Misuto suddenly realized what he was doing and turned red.

"Sorry." He said.

"It's ok." Rose said, also red. Strangely, it wasn't so cold anymore.

…

The next morning, Rose woke up to find that she and Misuto were still snuggled under a pile of blankets on the couch. She blushed again, but deiced that she wasn't ready to move quite yet. Misuto still had his arms around her, and she wouldn't dream of waking him. Outside, the storm had finally stopped.

…

Later that day, when the snow had melted, they encountered Vlad, Elias, Angel, and Pink*Star.

"How could you do that without consulting my dad?" Angel was asking Elias. He was glaring at the winter sprite, while Pink*Star was laughing.

"I'm sorry, I guess we went a bit overboard." Elias said, his hands raised defensively.

"A bit overboard?" Angel repeated. "Do you know how asymmetrical snow is? My dad hasn't had a symmetry fit for a very long time, but he was a quivering blob all of yesterday."

Pink*Star was still laughing uproariously. Angel rounded on her.

"It's not funny, Pink*Star." He said.

"Dude, it totally was." Pink*Star said. Angel sighed in frustration.

"Next year, your cousin Jack can stick to Europe where he should be." Angel told Elias. "I'm sure rose and Misuto had a horrible night, snowed in and freezing.

"Actually," Rose said, blushing "I kinda' liked it."

 **It's been a long time since I've written any fluff. But this isn't even all that fluffy. XD Perhaps for Valentine's day. Well I'm back in school again, and I'm SUPER busy. As a result I'm changing the upload schedule. I'll now be updating this fic every Friday and Sunday. I'll still upload tomorrow though, just because this chapter was so late.**

 **Don't forget to check out UlixesEmotion's Kingdom-Eater tumblr for her artwork of this fic. And I'd still love a beta for this story, if anyone's interested.**

 ***If you're a fan of movies from the 60's, you'll know this song. Even if I did alter the lyrics a bit.**


	25. Chapter 25

**A quick reminder that this chapter is a continuation from chapter 23. Chapter 24 is an overdue Christmas special and takes place between chapters 20 and 21.**

 **Also Giriko is here, so there might be additional language or themes.**

The huge golem of Darkness loomed over Rose and Misuto, holding a transformed Giriko above its head. With a loud grinding, Giriko revved his engine and his chains began to rotate.

"Now the REAL fun begins!" Giriko exclaimed.

 **The Encounter-Kingdom Hearts 2.5**

Rose held her ground.

"Ready?" She asked, Misuto.

"Yep." Misuto said.

"SOUL RESONANCE!" They both yelled. Misuto's blade glowed with Light and lengthened.

The golem moved with surprising speed for its size and brought Giriko down in a fast arc. Rose blocked, their Resonance protecting Misuto from Giriko's teeth. Sparks showered down on Rose and the two Weapons ground against each other.

The Darkness that Giriko and his golem were giving off was almost overpowering. Rose could feel it encroaching on her. With a huge effort she managed to shove the golem backward. It stumbled, off balance, and Rose pressed in and swiped at it several times.

Darkness leaked out of the slashes in the golem, but the wounds closed within moments.

"I'm invincible!" Giriko shouted, and Rose was forced to jump backwards as the chainsaw descended. It hit the ground and made a huge crater and a cloud of dust.

Rose jumped out of the cloud. She almost couldn't bear being close to Giriko, so intense was the Darkness radiating off of him.

"Firaga!" Rose caste three huge fireballs into the cloud.

The cloud was blown away as the golem cut through her spells, dissipating the flames.

"Gravira!" Rose shouted, her hand outstretched.

Purple energy wrapped around the golem's feet, holding it in place even as it tried to step forward.

"Well that's no fun!" Giriko said, his voice manic. The gloem plunged him into the ground, which started shaking as though in an earthquake.

Rose lost her balance, and her concentration was broken. The Gravity spell lifted, and the golem rushed forward at blinding speed. Rose only had time to block its horizontal sweep.

Rose ducked and swept at the golem's stubby legs. Misuto severed the black appendages, but the golem remained standing. Again, its wound healed after a few seconds.

The golem slashed at her, and Rose dodged again. They traded lighting-fast blows, sparks flying in every direction.

Rose managed to shove the golem back again. But Giriko seemed to changing tactics. The golem stood still as a cloud of Darkness gathered over its head. The cloud grew and grew until it blocked out the rising sun. Dark rain began to fall, and it burned and stung wherever it struck Rose.

"That's not good." Rose said. "Protect!" But the Barrier spell did nothing to hold back the Dark rain.

The golem had planted Giriko into the ground and was holding an orb of Darkness in its hands. It pulled and stretched the orb into a large plat ellipse. Missiles of purple energy came flying out of the ellipse and started spiraling through the air toward Rose.

"Definitely not good!" Rose said. She started running in a wide circle, the missiles following close behind.

What she needed right now was a good Light spell. But with so much Darkness around it was difficult to concentrate. It would be easy, so easy, just to turn Giriko's Darkness back on him. But she felt an icy dread at the though.

But then she would a monster, no different than Giriko. She tried to dismiss the idea, but it wasn't so easy. She felt the missiles explode just behind her and was sent sprawling to the ground. She got back up, dazed. She gazed at Misuto's still glowing blade, watching the Dark rain sizzle off of him.

"Time to cut you up!" Giriko's voice snapped her back to reality as the golem ran at her slashing the air wildly.

She blocked and dodged frantically, looking for an opening. She found one and severed the arm holding Giriko. Then she jumped backward, trying to think.

"Wind!" She said. A funnel of swirling wind manifested around her, deflecting the drops of Dark rain.

With the pain gone and the Darkness lessened, somewhat, she found her thoughts clearer. She realized that she had become tired again, and he Resonance with Misuto was fading fast. She drew on her powers again to revitalize both of them, and their Resonance stabilized.

"Are you ok?" Misuto asked.

"I don't know." Rose said, watching as the golem regrew its arm and took up Giriko again.

She still couldn't focus on the Light, not with so much Darkness around. Then something clicked into place and she remembered that she was a Keyblade wielder. Misuto was a beacon of Light that drew in Heartless wherever they went.

"We need to raise our Resonance." She told him.

"Let's do it." Misuto agreed.

Their Resonance began to grow. Rose could feel their combined Soul Wavelengths swelling.

"Oh no ya' don't!" Giriko shouted. The golem stabbed forward.

Giriko's teeth sank into Rose' flesh. Blood sprayed from the wound as Giriko cackled sadistically. Rose just stood there, her face expressionless, her eyes closed.

It was strange. Rose had never been so close to death before. But she was death, wasn't she? She felt a rush of power that seemed to pour in through the wound. Not Light, not Darkness, not magic, but something more. Kidd had called it life-force. But until now, Rose had not really understood what that meant. Now she felt _alive_. The beings in the world around her all had a bright pulsing spark inside them. The world itself had a much brighter spark. Their energy was everywhere, and Rose plunged her hand in into the stream, and felt the pulse of a world.

In the other hand, she gripped Misuto's Light. A Light that drove away the Darkness. Not stronger, or weaker than the glow of the world. Just different. Then she brought her hands together, and with them came the two flows of energy. The new combination flooded into her Body, her Heart, her Soul.

Without warning, Light blossomed from her back. It stretched backward forming two glowing delta-shaped wings. The wings were streaked with blue and purple light that formed intricate, shifting patterns.

Giriko suddenly screamed in pain and the golem quickly withdrew him from Rose, leaving now sign of a wound behind.

"What the hell are you?" Giriko asked? Rose opened her eyes, which had become orbs of swirling color.

"I am life. I am also death." She told him.

She raised Misuto, whose glow was now so strong that the golem shielded its eyes. The Dark storm was fading, and Heartless were fleeing into the desert.

"I don't care how much Light you think you have, I'm still going to cut you into ribbons!" Giriko yelled. The golem advanced at lightning speed, Giriko raised high.

Rose raised Misuto and fired a beam of swirling white blue and purple light. The beam hit the golem it faded away almost instantly. Giriko screamed and reverted to his human form, sprawled on the ground. The Darkness had been exorcised out of him.

He started to get up, but Rose stabbed him through the chest. A look of pure terror was frozen on his face, as his body faded into dust. His red, corrupted Soul floated above the ground, almost impossible to see against the glow.

…

From the edge of the desert, Mosquito watched with mixed feelings.

"The fool was too weak to do what needed to be done." He said to himself. "No matter, my lady. In the end her was merely a tool of your revenge. He has laid the foundation. All that remains is for me to finish the job."

 **Rose is now officially an Anime protagonist. XD She was already, but still. Look, we've got cover art! Yay! UlixesEmotion is the artist, and I'm using with her very kind permission. Tomorrow the new upload schedule starts, which is Fridays and Sundays, as I'm too busy during the week with school to post on Wednesdays. So I'll post another chapter tomorrow.**

 **Don't forget to check out UlixesEmotion's Kingdom-Eater tumblr for her artwork of this fic. And I'd still love a beta for this story, if anyone's interested.**


	26. Chapter 26

Rose and Misuto were exhausted. They were back-to-back, sitting on the sand, breathing hard.

"Can we go home now?" Rose asked.

"I hope so." Misuto said. "All the Heartless fled from your new form."

"That was something wasn't it?" Rose asked.

"Yeah." Misuto replied. "You know what you looked like?"

"What?" Rose asked.

"With those wings, you looked like an angel." He said, grinning. Rose blushed.

"Thanks." She said. "I didn't feel like one though. All that Darkness..."

"I know." Misuto replied. "I felt it too."

"Misuto, I'm scared." Rose confessed.

"Scared of what?" Misuto asked, concerned.

"That I'm addicted to Darkness." Rose said. "I could have taken Giriko's Darkness, you know. I could have turned it on him. It would have been so easy..."

"You're amazing, you know." Misuto said, in awe.

"What?" Rose asked, confused.

"You can be tempted by Darkness, and still Resonate with me at the same time. Then go on to fuse your own powers with the Light of a Keyblade." Misuto replied.

"I didn't think of it that way." Rose admitted. "But I'm still scared."

"Don't be." Misuto said. "Even if you did fall to Darkness, I'll always be here to Light your way back." Misuto grasped both of her hands.

"Thanks, Mistuo." Rose said, smiling. They were both silent for a moment.

"Oh no." Rose said. "Kingdom Hearts, why?"

"Let me guess, we're not done yet?" Misuto said.

"There's one more Soul approaching." Rose told him. "It's a Monster Soul. And he's much stronger than Giriko."

"I'll bet this Monster is really commanding the Heartless." Misuto speculated. "Giriko was kind of an idiot."

"Let's finish this and go home." Rose said, standing up. Misuto transformed and Rose caught him.

She turned to face the stranger. It was very short man in a suit and top hat. He had red eyes and a long pointed nose. Heartless had lined up in rows on either side of him, and were bowing. The man stopped a short distance away.

"So, Giriko let himself be defeated by such insignificant brats?" He said in a smooth voice that was laced with content. "How disappointing."

"A lot of people have underestimated us." Misuto said. "All of them lived to regret it, though most didn't live much longer."

"I will not allow myself to be intimated." Said the old man. "I, Mosquito, will not be defeated by mere children."

"This guy's a few shards short of a synthesis recipe." Rose commented.

"That fool Giriko thought he knew the power of Darkness." Mosquito said. "Allow me to show you what true Darkness can do."

Mosquito began chanting something. Darkness swirled around him, and his chanting got louder and louder until it became a yell. His eyes became red orbs of menace and a pillar of Darkness momentarily eclipsed him.

 **A Fight to the Death-Kingdom Hearts 2.5**

When the Darkness retreated, Mosquito's body had changed. He had become a tall, thin, hollow-cheeked young man. His hair was now black and slicked back. He still wore a black formal suit, though the top had disappeared and a cravat had been added. He would have been handsome, if Rose couldn't feel and see the pure Darkness radiating off of him. A few bats circled him in a wide radius, flapping and shrieking.

Rose was too tired to react, she just glared at him.

"I doubt you will be difficult to kill." Mosquito said, his voice smoother than before. "I think I shall only need the first one." He raised a hand.

A stream of bats poured from his plam. They flew in a spiral formation in the space between Rose and Mosquito, drawing closer together until they formed a black cloud.

The cloud coalesced into a dark figure. A huge, round-bodied Heartless with large muscled arms and stubby legs. It retained Mosquito's original top hat and long pointed nose, but its eyes were yellow and beady.

"Kill." Mosquito commanded.

The Heartless raised itself up and its arms so that its stubby legs were dangling above the ground. It pounded toward Rose on its arms like a gorilla.

Rose didn't hesitate. She slashed and stabbed the Heartless with blinding speed. Her blows glanced off with a metallic sound.

"You'll have to do better than that." Mosquito gloated.

"Firaga! Blizzaga!" Rose cast a succession of spells at the Heartless. They impacted with no effect whatsoever. The Heartless lifted a gigantic hand swiped at her, sending Rose flying back, skidding and bouncing several yards in the sand.

Rose quickly got up, even as the Heartless pounded quickly toward her.

"Reflega!" Rose cast a barrier around herself. The Heartless smashed into it at high speed and the Barrier spell shattered.

Rose didn't react quickly enough and the charging Heartless smashed into her. But this time Rose managed to control her flight, planting Misuto into the sand, slowing down her trajectory. She left a cloud of sand in her wake, but landed on her feet.

The Heartless was on her immediately. Rose had to duck and dodge a series of heavy blows that sent more clouds of sand into the air. Rose leaped backward a few feet.

"You are too weak, too slow." Mosquito stated. "You puny attacks cannot even damage the weakest of my Heartless."

"We'll see about that." Rose said. "Ready, Misuto?"

"Ready." He said.

"If you think I'm going to give you time to Resonate, you are foolish." Mosquito said, and his Heartless charged again, launching more and faster attacks than before.

Rose suddenly had an idea, while dodging the creature's blows. Pointing Misuto at the ground beneath the Heartless' feet, she shouted.

"Water!" The sand beneath the Heartless turned dark with moisture, and it began to flow inward.

The Heartless began to sink into the newly formed quicksand.

"Let's do it." Rose said.

"SOUL RESONANCE!" Light gathered on Misuto's blade.

Rose shot a beam of light at the sinking Heartless, the beam piercing the beast's body which quickly dissolved into black and purple mist.

"How can such weak children have defeated my Heartless?" Mosquito asked, the bats around him squealing angrily.

"Not so tough now?" Rose mocked. She held Misuto aloft, still glowing with Light.

"Well no matter." Mosquito said, as though there had been no interruption. "We move on to the next one, no the next two."

"Two?" Misuto asked.

Mosquito raised both hands, a stream of bats poured from both palms They gathered into two dark fluttering clouds that coalesced into two more Heartless.

The first one was shaped a bit like a grasshopper, with large hind legs. It's nose was much larger than before, and it had an even larger stinger on its rear end. It retained the top hat and beady yellow eyes of the first Heartless.

The second also had a large stinger on its face. It was larger than the other two forms combined and had enormous wings made of a think black membrane. It had a multitude of beady yellow eyes arranged in two clusters on its face. It also had claws on all four spindly limbs. *****

 **I know I should have uploaded this yesterday. XD Oh well. Mosquito is harder to write for, since we don't see him fight much in the anime, and I haven't read the manga. I just have the wiki. Anyway, hope you enjoy.**

 **Don't forget to check out UlixesEmotion's Kingdom-Eater tumblr for her artwork of this fic, she's the one that made the cover art for this fic. And I'd still love a beta for this story, if anyone's interested.**

 ***This is based on Mosquito's from from 800 years ago, which apparently was never shown in its entirety. So I had to fill in some blanks.**


	27. Chapter 27

The two Heartless loomed over Rose.

"Time for you to die, little brat." Mosquito said.

"Giriko was a lot tougher, you know." Rose said.

"We'll see about that." Mosquito replied.

The grasshopper-like Heartless moved faster than even Rose could see. The winged Heartless took off with a rapid flurry of its wings.

"Wind!" Rose cast a shield of wind that whirled around her.

The grasshopper Heartless stuck with its stinger quicker than Rose could react. But the Aero spell had done its job, and the force of the blow was severely reduced.

The winged Heartless had flown up about 20 feet and starting shooting yellows lasers from its many eyes. Rose jumped backward several feet, avoiding the advancing beams that left streaks of molten sand in their wake.

"Water!" Again the ground darkened beneath the feet of the grasshopper Heartless, which had paused. It quickly moved away from the quicksand before it had a chance to sink in.

"I won't fall for the same trick twice!" Mosquito growled.

"He's controlling them." Misuto said quietly.

"Moon!" Rose's vision went red and she felt the blood pounding in her veins. She controlled the surge of anger that rippled through her. Blue moonfire burned around her.

She could almost follow the grasshopper Heartless' movements now, even as she had to give more ground to the approaching lasers. The Heartless used its hind legs to move around her in a circle, occasionally darting in at random angles to strike with its stinger. But between the Aero spell and the protection from the moonfire, its attacks were not strong enough to hurt her.

The winged Heartless suddenly cut off its lasers and dived at her, stinger glowing. Rose blocked and sparks flew in a yellow arc as the Heartless landed a glancing blow on Misuto's twice glowing blade. It came around for another attack and this time Rose stepped aside and slashed at it as it flew past. The attack cut a long slash in the beast's side, but this barely slowed it down.

The grasshopper Heartless started moving in even faster cycles, kicking up a dust storm. This didn't bother Rose' Soul Perception, however. She could still see the Heartless, if indirectly. They didn't have Souls, but showed as a kind of hole or gap where the Soul should be.

The winged Heartless was hovering directly over her head now. It looked down and start its lasers again. A cage of yellow beams surrounded Rose, creating pools of molten sand where the struck the ground. The grasshopper Heartless had stopped. It jumped, flipped over in mid air and reversed its limbs and head with a sickening crunch. On its underside, which was now facing up, was a mirror-shine membrane.

Rose knew what was going to happen next. She was trapped by the lasers, and the grasshopper was going to use its blinding speed and reflective membrane to reflect every single beam at her all at once.

There was only one way out.

"Earth!" A cloud of dust obscured her from Mosquito's view, just as the grasshopper started its circling and the lasers converged at the point where Rose had been standing.

"Heh, disintegrated." Mosquito said with satisfaction.

Rose emerged from the ground behind him, and stabbed at him with blinding speed. Even so, Mosquito exploded into bats as Misuto's glowing blade reached him. He reformed a few feet away, now flanked by his two Heartless.

"You're more clever than I thought." Mosquito admitted. "But you're tired, you'll soon be too weak to fight. And my Heartless can fight forever."

Rose was tired, but she was grinning. She had a plan.

"Wind! Moon!" Both Areo and Moon spells had faded, but she recast them.

This time the Aero spell kicked up another cloud of dust. Under cover of this, she cast three quick spells with a whisper.

"You may as well give up." Mosquito said.

"Water!" Rose said again. She drew in the air so that she was standing the only dry patch in the center of a circle of quicksand. Except for an opening directly in front of her, facing Mosquito and his Heartless.

"I told you that won't work." Mosquito gloated.

Rose knew what was going to happen. The dust cloud still floated behind her. The winged Heartless moved over her head again. The grasshopper shot forward almost faster than she could see. Almost. The Moon spell made her just fast enough to dodge, as she knew the attack was coming.

The grasshopper charged forward, and Rose stepped aside. It flew past her and into the dust cloud, which was cleared by the wind of its passing. The Heartless was slipping on a trail of ice that Rose had cast earlier. It slid along it and smashed into a wall of rock that Rose had also prepared only moments before.

Rose shot a beam of Light from Misuto's tip at the crashed Heartless. It was reflected off its mirror-like membrane and was sent upward at an angle that caused to pierce the winged Heartless. Rose stepped forward, chasing her beam and stabbed the fallen grasshopper Heartless with Misuto's glowing blade.

The whole sequence had taken about 2 seconds, and both Heartless exploded into black and purple mist.

Mosquito could only stare, outraged as Rose turned to face.

"Y-you, h-how?!" Mosquito spluttered.

"Your overconfidence is your weakness." Rose said, smirking.

Mosquito growled in rage.

"What's the matter, out of lame Heartless?" Rose asked.

"Fine then, I'll destroy you myself!" Mosquito shouted. Darkness swirled around him as he screamed with rage, his near-handsome features turning ugly with hate.

He pointed at her with both hands, and a stream of bats poured from his hands and flew at her, shrieking and flapping madly.

"Defense!" Rose shouted. The barrier spell held for a moment, but then was shattered and Rose was sent flying back, the bats tearing open many cuts on her body. She got back up quickly, wiping blood from her eyes.

"Die!" Mosquito shouted. He launched another two streams of bats toward her, one curving around to come at her from behind.

Rose spells had faded again, but she did not recast them. The Moon spells had taken their toll, and Rose wasn't sure how long she could keep fighting. She need to distract Mosquito so she and Misuto could raise their Resonance again.

She jumped high above the attack, but the two streams of bats merged and curved upward toward her.

"Force!" Rose cast a Gravity spell to her right. She was dragged toward it, but she cut off the spell before it could capture the bats.

She had avoided the vertical column but was now falling toward the a horizontal stream and the vertical stream was already curving around toward her. Rose knew she had only one spell left in her.

"Stopga!" The bats froze in midair. Rose landed on the stream below her and hopped on landing on the sand.

"Let's finish it." She said to Misuto. They began to increase their Resonance rate.

"I don't think so!" Mosquito growled. The Stop spell wore off and the bats started to come at the pair from every direction.

The began to circle her creating column of bats inside which a razor wind tore into Rose again and again.

Once again, time seemed to slow. Rose could hardly feel her injuries, severe though they were. She could feel the great warmth of Misuto's Light, and the infinite cold of Mosquito's Darkness. And apart from them she could feel the flow of life-force that the world possessed, pulsing regularly like a heartbeat.

She gathered that flow in one hand and Misuto's Light in the other, and once again fused the two into a new power. The power flooded into her, purer and cleaner than Darkness, not as harsh or all consuming as Light. Wings of Light spouted from her back, delta-shaped and shot through with veins of this new blue and purple energy. The same energy flowed along Misuto's already glowing blade.

She remembered the attack that moments before had been tearing into her flesh. It was simple matter, so simple, to release a minuscule amount of this new power as an explosion around her that disintegrated the bats.

"What is this?" Mosquito asked, fear in his voice.

"Your death." Rose told him, pointing Misuto at the young-old man. Then she stepped forward and with a flick of her wrist, cut Mosquito into eight pieces.

"Lady Arachne." He said, tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry." Then he faded into dust.

As quickly as the power had come, it was gone. Their Resonance finally stopped. Misuto was in his human form.

"We did it." He said.

Then they both passed out.

 **I'm sorry, this should have been up yesterday. One week I'll manage to keep my schedule. XD Ah well. I went to Markiplier's You're Welcome Tour today, and it was amazing! Definitely go if you have the chance, there might still be tickets left for some shows.**

 **Next chapter is the beginning of the end. Sad to say but we're almost done. XD Almost. There may be as many as 10 chapters left, but I'm almost at the end of my outline. And any warnings that have not thus far applied will come into effect shortly.**

 **Don't forget to check out UlixesEmotion's Kingdom-Eater tumblr for her artwork of this fic, she's the one that made the cover art for this fic. And I'd still love a beta for this story, if anyone's interested.**


	28. Chapter 28

Rose woke up in a bed in the DWMA's Dispensary. She turned her head, and saw Misuto was awake in the bed next to her.

"Here we are again." Rose said.

"Yep. Are you ok?" He asked, looking over at her.

"I'm good actually." She replied. "You?"

"I'm fine." He said. "A bit sore, I guess."

"I'm sorry I had to push you so far." Rose said after a moment.

"No father than I pushed myself." Misuto replied. "You don't have to apologize. We didn't have any choice. We couldn't stand by and let people die or be swallowed by Darkness."

"You two are a marvel, you know that?" Came a voice from across the room.

Rose and Misuto both jumped and looked up to see Sou leaning against the opposite wall, grinning his usual shark-toothed grin.

"You remind me a lot of me and Maka at your age. Always rushing headfirst into danger." He said, and a for a moment he gazed at the window reminiscently.

"So we're reckless?" Misuto asked, shrewdly.

"A bit." Soul shrugged. "But that's part of what makes you good students."

Rose and Misuto glanced at each other.

"Still," Soul said, a bit more serious. "You didn't have to fight that battle all by yourselves."

"But we're the only ones who can defeat the Heartless." Rose said.

"But other weapons work on Heartless when a Keyblade is around." Soul said.

"How did you know that?" Misuto asked.

"Because the rest of us were out there too." Soul said, grinning again. "You didn't really think you took on that army all by yourselves did you?"

"We didn't see anyone else." Misuto said.

"Well you were moving quickly. But you couldn't be everywhere in the city. We had to be everywhere you couldn't." Soul explained.

The door opened and Kidd came in.

"Don't be too hard on them." Kidd said. "They did take on Giriko and Mosquito all by themselves."

"Some help would have been nice." Rose said, grinning.

Soul looked taken aback that Rose would openly criticize Kidd.

"Believe me I wanted to help." Kidd said, also grinning. "But I had to look after the civilians."

"There's something I want to ask you about, actually." Rose said.

"I know, I saw it with Soul Perception." Kidd said. "But we'll talk tomorrow. You two need to rest today."

"Speaking of." Soul said. "I'm accelerating the class tomorrow. We're going to start on Chain Resonance."

"Already?" Misuto asked. "I thought even the rest of the class wouldn't learn it for another year, let alone us."

"Normally you're right." Kidd explained. "But it seems as though the peace Death City has enjoyed for the last 10 years has come to an end. You need to be prepared for more battles like the ones you just had."

"Anyway, I'm sure you can handle it." Soul said, grinning again.

"We'll be ready tomorrow." Rose promised.

…

Rose and Misuto spent most of the rest of the day resting. It was after dark now, and the DWMA was empty except for them and the odd night janitor.

"You look worried." Misuto said. Rose had been staring at the moon for a while now.

"I am." She admitted.

"What about?" Misuto asked.

"When we were fighting Giriko," Rose began, sitting up. "his Darkness was overwhelming."

"I know." Misuto said, also sitting up, looking at her. "I promised I'd be your Light, and I meant it."

"But what if-" Rose started, but halted.

"What if what?"

"What if you can't stop me." Rose looked at the floor "What if I fall so far into Darkness that you can't get me out."

"Impossible." Misuto said. He got up and sat down next to her on her bed. "You know I would never give up on you.

"I know." Rose said "But if it ever does, promise me something."

"What is it?" Misuto asked, apprehension in his voice.

"Promise me you'll destroy me before I hurt anyone." Rose blurted out, looking him directly in the eye..

"Rose..." Misuto began. "I could never promise that."

"Why not?" Rose asked, shocked.

"Because I will never let Darkness take you." Misuto took both of her hands. "Because even if I did I wouldn't hesitate to dive into Darkness to get you back. Because...Because I love you, Rose. And I could never live without you."

"Misuto..." Rose said, and she threw her arms around him. "I love you too!"

"Please don't make me promise to hurt you." Misuto said, wrapping his arms around her. Rose shook her head.

They stayed like that for a long time.

…

The next morning Black*Star and Tsubaki found themselves sitting in the Death Room across the tea table from Kidd.. Apparently Kidd had an assignment for them. He looked apprehensive.

"I'm sending you to India." Kidd began.

"Ok." Black*Star said. "And how many Kishin Eggs am I gonna' smite?"

"None." Kidd said, hesitantly.

"Then who's the witch that needs offing?" Black*Star asked.

"There is no witch." Kidd replied.

"Then why would I waste time going?"

"Because there's a job I need you to do." Kidd said, his voice oddly small.

"Like what?"

Kidd cleared his throat. "I'm sending you on an inspection tour of-"

"YOU'RE GONNA' SEND THE GREAT BLACK*STAR ON A BABY-SITTING MISSION!?" Black*Star yelled, standing up. Tsubaki grabbed his arm and pulled him back into a sitting position.

"Calm down, Black*Star." She said.

"Black*Star, you're the only Meister in the history of the academy who has never logged any non-combat duty." Kidd said. "You have other responsibilities as a representative of the DWMA, and it's time you stopped ignoring them."

"The great Black*Star does not do paperwork." Black*Star declared.

"Black*Star, it's only fair. Think of how much paperwork Soul and Maka have to do as teachers." Tsubaki said.

Now that the subject was out in the open, Kidd seemed to be more confident in is decision.

"Black*Star, you know that the DWMA devotes much of its resources to charity." Kidd began. "The south of India is experiencing a drought and people are starving. The DWMA has already started relief efforts. We have dozens of temporary outposts distributing food, water, and other supplies. We need someone to inspect those outposts this month, and I've assigned you that job. And you will do it, whether you like it or not."

"I'd like to see you make me." Black*Star snorted.

"Black*Star." Tsubaki said again. "Think of all the lives you'll be helping save. Surely a star like you can help a lot of people in need."

Black*Star considered for a moment.

"Fine then, your god will condescend to help thousands of his subjects." He said, triumphantly.

Kidd, mouthed ' _thank you_ ' to Tsubaki, who winked at him and giggled.

"Good then, you'll be leaving first thing in the morning." Kidd said out loud.

 **Feels weird not to upload for 4 days in a row. Anyway, fluff! And confessions. I hope I did ok. I'm not so good at them. XD I'm better at writing Black*Star, but then he's easy.**

 **Don't forget to check out UlixesEmotion's Kingdom-Eater tumblr for her artwork of this fic, she's the one that made the cover art for this fic. And I'd still love a beta for this story, if anyone's interested. Even though it's almost over, there may be sequels…**


	29. Chapter 29

Rose and Misuto left the Dispensary the next morning, both feeling healthy. Neither of them mentioned their conversation of the night before. Rose still wasn't sure if it was a dream or not. To be honest, it didn't change much between them. Though Rose now felt less awkward walking into class holding Misuto's hand.

After a moment the class settled down. They all knew of course, what had happened the in the past few days. Many were staring at Rose and Misuto.

"Hey guys." Soul said, the class looked at him. "I guess I don't need to tell you what's been going on the past few days. This one top of everything last year. I'm not gonna' lie, Lord Death is worried. Difficult times might lie ahead, for all of us."

The class was dead silent.

"So, we're accelerating the curriculum." Soul went on. "I think all of you can Resonate with your partners by now. Normally we wouldn't form teams until next year, but we may not have that time. Today I will put you in teams, and we'll be starting Chain Resonance."

A class started murmuring to itself.

"Now listen up because I'm going to announce the teams. Each team has three Meisters and as many weapons as those Meisters use." Soul looked down at a clipboard and started listing off names.

Rose and Misuto listened for their names.

"Team 3, Culpepper, Leblanc. Serafim, Mason. Ryouken and Ryouken." Soul read out.

Belle, Emile, Xavier, Ty, Rejii and Ikari were all a team then. They gather together in a corner.

"Team 4, Bennett, Mizushima. ***** Mikhailov, Oighear. Star and Death." Soul said.

Rose looked at Misuto then they stood up and joined Vlad, Elias, Pink*Star and Angel. Soul finished reading all of the teams.

"Everyone outside and get started. You've all read about Chain Resonance, you know how it works. I'll be around if you need help." Soul stopped and looked at Angel who was glaring at a grinnng Pink*Star.

"I will not be your Weapon Partner." Angel was saying firmly. "Neither of us need a Partner."

"Oi, you two haven't gotten together yet?" Soul asked.

"What did you just say?" Angel asked, turning to him,his face red. Soul grinned.

"I mean, you two aren't partners?" He corrected.

"No we are not." Angel said.

"Well you are now." Soul told him. Pink*Star pumped her fist.

"You can't make me." Angel said, though he was still blushing.

"Watch me." Soul said. "I said teams are made of three Meister and their weapons."

"Their have been independent weapons before." Angel argued.

"True, but you need to learn Chain Resonance, and how to fight with a Partner." Soul said "There's a reason Kidd is making you attend these classes you know. Pink*Star will be a more than adequate partner. I think she already proved she's tougher than you."

Angel went red again, remembering his loss in the Halloween Battle Tournament.

"Now get outside, all of you." Soul said, grinning.

…

A few minutes later they had assembled in a clearing. Unknown to them, Soul was watching from the shadows in the trees.

"Ok, Angel, let's see your weapon form." Pink*Star said, holding out her hand.

"Do I have to?" Angel asked.

"It would make things simple." Misuto told him.

Angel sighed and after a moment turned into red light. He appeared in Pink*Star's outstretched hand as a long-barreled .44 caliber revolver made of a dark grey metal, with polished bone grips which glinted white between Pink*Star's fingers. ******

"This is awesome!" Pink*Star said. She pointed Angel straight up in the air and fired several shots. They weren't bullets, but compressed projectiles of her Soul Wavelength, which was pink, unsurprisingly.

"You're rate of fire isn't as fast as your moms." Said Pink*Star.

"Well duh." Angel said, annoyed. "I'm a revolver, not an automatic. Now can we get this over with?"

"Well that's no attitude to take, lad." Elias said, transforming. "We're supposed to be a team."

"They expect me to Resonate 'vith peasants?" Vlad asked.

"What did I just say?" Elias asked, exasperated.

Misuto transformed, saying as he did so. "Just relax guys. Or do you think you're not up the challenge?"

"Of course I am." Vlad said. "The question is are you?"

"I am." Angel replied with determination.

"Yahoo!" Pink*Star said, by way of showing agreement.

"Let's do it then." Rose said.

Rose closed her eyes and focused. She Resonated with Misuto easily. Through her Soul Perception she could see Vlad and Elias also Resonated. She watched with interest as Pink*Star and Angel tried to Resonate.

It was shaky at first, Pink*Star was trying to do all the work. But Angel asserted himself after a moment, and they established a steady Resonance. Impressive, given that they had probably never tried it before.

Now Rose reached out toward the two pairs of Souls, each combined into one by their Resonance. She brushed against Pink*Star and Angel, and none of them hesitated. Rose found that Resonating with them was easy. Maybe it was because Angel was also a Reaper.

Now the two of them reached out for Vlad and Elias. As soon as their Souls made contact, the Resonance broke off with a jarring wave of energy.

Rose opened her eyes and looked first a Pink*Star, then at Vlad.

"'Vhy are you staring at me?" Vlad asked. "I cannot help it if my Soul 'vill not accommodate the lower class."

"Yes you bloody well can." Elias said. "You're scared."

"I am not." Vlad argued.

"Can we please just try again?" Rose asked.

"Very 'vell." Vlad said.

Once again, Rose reached out. Again she Resonanted with Pink*Star. They both reached toward Vlad. Again the broken Resonance and the jarring energy pulse.

"Vlad." Elias said. "Play nice."

"I 'vill not lower myself." Vlad said. "It is not my fault if their skills are lacking."

"Excuse me?" Pink*Star asked. "You question the skill of the great Pink*Star."

"Put your egos away, both of you." Angel. "I swallowed my pride for the sake of this lesson. The least you can do is the same."

"I'm not the one with the problem." Pink*Star said.

"Let's clam down and try again." Misuto said.

…

It was sunset and the 6 of them were exhausted. They still hadn't managed it. Vlad's Wavelength was like a sphere of solid ice. Cold and unyielding.

"That's enough for today." Came Soul's voice from the edge of the clearing.

They all looked up at him.

"I didn't expect you to get it on your first day." Soul said.

"You did." Pink*Star pointed out.

"I had a deadline." Soul reminded her. "If we couldn't learn there was a good chance the DWMA was going to lose against Arachnophobia. You guys don't have that much pressure, and I'm not in that much of a hurry. Go home, rest. Tomorrow I'll give you all a kick in the pants if I have to." He grinned.

…

When Rose and Misuto returned to their apartment they sat in silence for a long moment.

"I didn't dream last night did I?" Rose asked.

"Unless we had the same dream." Said Misuto smiling.

"So what do we do now?" Rose asked,

"Whatever we want." Misuto replied. "It doesn't feel very different to be honest."

"It doesn't." Rose agreed. "It's kinda' like we were, I don't know, meant to be?"

"Maybe." Misuto said smiling. "But we don't need to rush into things. We're young after all."

"I guess so." Rose said.

She reached out and took his hand. He grasped hers. It was on old habit of theirs, but one that had a bit more meaning now.

…

It was 1 in the morning and Kidd was, as always awake in the Death Room. He didn't sleep much under the best of circumstances. He had been plagued by an uneasy feeling of late, one that didn't allow him to sleep.

So he was still awake when Black*Star came in with a tired, but serious-looking Tsubaki.

"What are you doing here?" Kidd asked, surprised. "You can't have finished the inspection tour already."

"That's not important anymore." Black*Star said, his voice deadly serious.

"What is it, what's happened." Kidd asked, panic in his voice. Little could make Black*Star so serious.

"The relief camps have all been destroyed." Tsubaki said, a catch in her voice. "All assigned personal are dead, Soul missing."

Kidd could only stand there, open-mouthed with shock.

"B-but. How?" He stammered "Who could have done this without us knowing?"

"They left the answer to that question." Black*Star said. "One word was written in blood in all of the camps. Over and over again."

"What word?" Kidd asked.

"Drought."

 **Now things are getting serious. And they will not get much better in the next few chapters. But I must say no more.**

 **Don't forget to check out UlixesEmotion's Kingdom-Eater tumblr for her artwork of this fic, she's the one that made the cover art for this fic. And I'd still love a beta for this story, if anyone's interested. Even though it's almost over, there may be sequels…**

 ***We never learn Sora's (and by extension Misuto's) last name. So I just picked one. It's made of two characters when written in Kanji, and they mean "water" and "island", which I thought was appropriate for Sora.**

 ****If you're curious, Angel's weapon form is based on the Smith and Wesson model 29. No, I'm not a Clint Eastwood fan, I just liked the way it looked. XD So does UlixesEmotion, and Angel is her character.**


	30. Chapter 30

"What does Drought mean?" Kidd asked.

"We looked into that." Black*Star went on. "Apparently Drought is the name of a cult that's been gaining power in a lot of countries. It seems to have started in or near India though."

"Nobody made much of them at first." Tsubaki went on. "Because they never did anything except spread their message. But now this. They're starting to look like Arachnophobia. We saw some cult members. They all wear grey robes, with dragon masks."

"This is not good." Kidd said. "Do you think? Is their leader a witch?"

"No idea." Black*Star said. "We didn't find out much more, we wanted to get back here and tell you."

"I understand." Kidd said."I'll put Cid and Nygus on it right away. In the meantime keep this quiet."

"You can count on me, Kidd." Black*Star assured him. For once, Kidd believed that he could.

…

Later that Kidd and Rose were having their usual lesson.

"I believe there was something you wanted to ask me about?" Kidd said, as the session began.

"Yeah, there is." Rose said. "During my fights with Giriko and Mosquito, something happened."

"I saw." Kidd said. "Your Soul changed. It was nothing I'd ever seen before."

"It don't really know what is was either." Rose said "It happened twice. Both times I had sustained a wound that would have been fatal to a normal human."

"I see." Kidd said. "Naturally, such a wound would not kill you or I."

"When it happened." Rose said. "I felt a rush of energy. Not Darkness or Light. It was life-force. But so much more intense then when I tap into it like you taught me. It was like...I could feel the heartbeat of the world."

"I know the sensation." Kidd said, nodding. "I felt something very much like each time I connected one of my Lines of Sanzu. But as we've established, you have no such lines. So this must be something else. Did that cause your Soul to change?"

"No." Rose explained. "No not the wound, or flow of energy. I don't even know why I did it but, I fused that life-force with Misuto's Light. That triggered the transformation. It changed Misuto's weapon from, and even my Body. Misuto said I grew wings."

"Fascinating." Kidd said. "I must confess, the nature of such a transformation eludes me. I am not a Keyblade Meister. This may be something only you can do. And did it make you stronger?"

"Yes." Rose said. "Strong enough to kill both Giriko and Mosquito. But it didn't last long either time, and I still had to be seriously wounded for it to happen."

"It might be a good idea for you to learn how to access that power at will." Kidd said. "I cannot teach you, but it would be best to practice it here in the Death Room."

"That makes sense." Rose replied. "I don't want to hurt anyone by accident."

"Very well." Kidd decided "Bring Misuto with you tomorrow and we will start practicing it. Today, however, there is one more thing I want to teach you. I have already taught you all that I know about being a Death God. And as our powers are not the same, I feel there is little else I can do for you."

"But you said there is one more thing." Rose put in.

"Correct." Kidd went on. "There is one more power that I must teach you to use. One that is the very reason that the DWMA exists in the first place."

"And what power is that?" Rose asked.

"The power to seal evil." Kidd told her. "This power is not one to be taken lightly. My father was unable to kill the Kishin, Asura, over 800 years ago. So he sealed him in a bag made of his own skin. In order to keep Asura from escaping, my father anchored his Soul to Death City."

Rose looked shocked, but wait for Kidd to continued.

"This is an extreme example, even in this context." Kidd continued. "My father chose to use Asura's skin because nothing else would hold him. But anything capable of containing the evil will work. It is also not necessary to anchor your soul to the place of sealing. Nevertheless, it is not a power to be used on a whim. It takes a lot of effort on your part, and will leave you drained for days or weeks afterward."

"So it should only be used on something that I can't otherwise deal with." Rose said. Kidd nodded.

"Considering how much more powerful I suspect you are than even my father, I shudder to think of the power that requires you to seal it." Kidd said. "I hope you never need use it."

"Me too." Rose said.

"In order to perform this act, you first need the vessel. It can be anything, as long as it is strong enough to hold back the evil you wish to seal. In your case, this will be the hard part." Kidd explained. "On the other hand, you will likely have to severely weaken the evil to prevent it from fighting against the sealing.

"Once you have the vessel and the evil to be sealed, you must place the evil within the vessel. Then you must construct at least one Seal. These seals are the dangerous part. You must make the Seal out of a fragment of your Soul."

Rose gasped.

"These seals do not last forever, as we found out when Asura escaped." Kidd continued. "And if broken, that is a part of your Soul that you may not be able to regain. You see now why this power is an extreme measure?"

"Yes." Rose replied.

There was silence for a long moment.

"I think that's all for today." Kidd said. "You should return to class."

…

Later, out in the forest, Team 4 had still been unable to produce a Chain Resonance.

"I've had enough!" Pink*Star said. "This is your fault, Vlad. Me and Rose can Resonate just fine, but you're making no effort at all!"

"It is hardly my fault if your Soul is inferior to mine." Vlad shrugged.

"You snobby, little brat!" Pink*Star shouted. "You've done nothing but blame us!"

"Pink*Star." Angel said.

"I will not calm down!" Pink*Star said to her Weapon. "There's only one way to handle this, I'm going to beat you to a pulp, Vlad!"

"Oh yeah, that'll solve everything." Said Angel, sarcastically.

"Are you so arrogant as to believe you can defeat me, peasant?" Vlad asked.

"You bet I can!" Pink*Star declared. "I should have done this a long time ago!"

Vlad and Pink*Star both raised their weapons. Pink*Star was glaring, Vlad's face was impassive as ever.

"Hold it guys." Rose interrupted. Everyone looked at her.

"What?" Pink*Star asked, clearly impatient.

"If you guys are going to duel, there has to be a teacher present." Rose reminded them.

"Aye, the lass is right." Elias said.

"I'll go find Soul." Rose said, turning to go.

"No need, I'm here." Soul said, emerging from the shadows at the edge of the clearing.

"Are you always watching us?" Misuto asked, shrewdly. Soul ignored his question.

"I'll referee your fight." He said. "But the fight is over when I say so."

"Fine." Pink*Star said. She and Vlad faced each other again, Weapons rasied.

"Begin." Soul said.

 **This match will get red hot! Well cold. XD Join us next time for another exciting episode! Who will win? I bet you already know who will win. Let me know who you think. We'll find out on Sunday. This is way earlier than I normally upload, but it is Friday. XD By about 5 minutes.**

 **Ok so this fic will go longer than I previously estimated. XD But that's ok. This time, I'm holding a promotion. I actually need help creating a new character which will be featured in this fic. If you want in, all you have to do is leave a review with some honest feedback. Then you'll be able to contribute whatever you like to this character, a name, a description, even the whole character if I like them. (This is a very transparent attempt to get another review for this fic. XD)**

 **Don't forget to check out UlixesEmotion's Kingdom-Eater tumblr for her artwork of this fic, she's the one that made the cover art for this fic. And I'd still love a beta for this story, if anyone's interested. Even though it's almost over, there may be sequels…**


	31. Chapter 31

**Champion Battle-Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire**

Pink*Star did not hesitate, but opened fire with Angel. Vlad spin Elias like the propeller of a plane in front of him, and Pink*Star's shots bounced off. An icy wind began to blow from the spinning Elias, and Pink*Star was buffeted backwards.

Pink*Star stopped firing and brushed snow off her shoulder. Then she grinned and started moving too fast to see. She started circling Vlad, kicking up dust.

"Speed Star!" She shouted.

Vlad covered himself in a sphere of ice. Shots came from the circle of dust, but they did not penetrate the ice. Now Pink*Star had stopped and was standing in front of the ice.

"Come out of there!" She shouted. She drew back her fist, which crackled with her Soul Wavelength, and punched the great sphere of ice, which shattered into a thousand shards.

But Vlad, it seemed, had not been wasting time. He and Elias were outlined in an icy blue glow. Rose could see their Souls' Resonance, a whirling sphere of icy wind, like a blizzard.

Vlad moved Elias in a wide arc around him, and hundreds of icy spheres appeared floating in the air. Then he pointed his Weapon at Pink*Star who was surrounded in a cage of the same spheres. The spheres around Pink*Star exploded into snow and sleet.

When the fog cleared, Pink*Star was still standing there, unfazed by the explosion. She had thin plates of ice on her in places, but those shattered as she rushed forward.

"That the best you got?" Pink*Star asked. She aimed a flurry of kicks and punches at Vlad, who dodged or blocked most of them.

Vlad's ice bombs went off as Pink*Star got near them, but they did little to slow her down.

"Let me show you what a real explosion is like!" Pink*Star exclaimed. She tossed Angel high up into the air, and gathered her Soul Wavelength between her hands. Rose watched as Pink*Star compressed the energy, grinding it against itself.

Realizing what was about to happen, Rose sprinted for cover and manged to get behind a tree just as Pink*Star's compacted Soul Wavelength exploded with such force the trees creaked in protest, and light momentarily overpowered that of the sun. Over the gigantic _boom_ , Rose heard a shout.

"Pink*Star Supernova!"

When the light had faded, Rose peaked out from behind the tree to see Pink*Star catch Angel camly, as though nothing had just happened.

"You idiot!" Angel was yelling with his metallic Weapon-form voice. "You could have killed us all. And did you have to throw me up in the air. Freefall in Weapon Form is not pleasant!"

"I needed both hands to do that." Pink*Star said. "Anyway don't worry, I modulate my Wavelength so that it only affects my target."

Rose glanced at Vlad. He was crouched behind a wall of ice that was covered in a spiderweb of cracks. The wall shattered even as she looked at it, and Vlad stood up, bruised and battered despite his shield.

"You give yet?" Pink*Star asked, smirking.

Vlad snarled and raised Elias.

"Match to Pink*Star." Interrupted Soul.

"HAHAHA!" Pink*Star yelled. "DON'T BE SURPRISED THAT THE GREAT PINK*STAR IS THE VICTOR!"

"I 'vas not finished." Vlad said, glaring at Soul.

"You're finished when I say you are." Soul said, glaring right back. "You guys aren't done here today, I need you conscious."

"I know what's coming." Misuto said quietly. Soul appeared not to have heard him.

"You guys aren't going to home until you've achieved Chain Resonance." Soul continued. "You'll stay here all night if you have to."

"Fine by me." Pink*Star said.

"I 'vill 'vait as long as it takes." Vlad added.

Rose just sighed. "Alright then."

…

Hours later, the sky was dark, and nothing had changed except that they were all tired. They were taking a short break, the Weapons had resumed their human forms. Pink*Star was glaring daggers at Vlad, who was perhaps frowning a bit more than usual.

"You're a Darkness damned snob, Vlad!" Pink*Star yelled. "I refuse to be held back any longer by your idiotic arrogance."

"You accuse me of being arrogant?" Vlad asked.

"You're more arrogant than I am." Pink*Star told him. "And that takes a lot of effort."

"He's not being arrogant." Misuto said.

"What do you mean? Of course he is?" Angel asked.

"Ok, he is arrogant." Misuto corrected himself. "But it's not his arrogance that's the problem."

"Well that is his problem?" Pink*Star demanded.

"He's scared." Misuto said, simply. Vlad glared at him.

"Do not think you can understand me." Vlad growled.

"The lad may just have a point." Elias conceded.

"And 'vhat?" Vlad asked, contemptuously "Am I supposed to be scared of?"

"I think there's a few things?" Misuto said. "The first thing is that it is scary to let other people into your Soul."

"Is it?" Angel asked.

"You didn't seem to be keen on it." Misuto told him.

"I guess you're right." Angel replied.

"You and Pink*Star are used to the idea because you both grew up here." Misuto continued. "But Vlad was raised in Russia, this is only his second year in Death City. I'm guessing he never had many close friends before Elias."

"Do not presume-" Vlad began. But Elias cut him off.

"You know he's right Vlad." He put in.

"Then there's the fact that two of the team he's trying to Resonate with are Reapers." Misuto finished.

Rose and Angel both considered this.

"Fine, Vlad is scared." Pink*Star said. "What do we do about it? Should we get him a teddy bear and read him a bedtime story?"

"Pink*Star, really." Rose said, reproachfully. "We just need to change our approach."

"What do you suggest?" Angel asked.

"I'd suggest that Vlad man up and stop acting like a baby." Pink*Star muttered.

"Well it would be ideal if Vlad stopped shutting us out." Rose said, looking at him.

Vlad said nothing, his face was back to being unreadable, as usual.

"But until he decides to open up we're going to have to use a backdoor, so to speak." Rose continued. "It's quite simple really. His Harmony with Elias gives us a way."

"I get it." Angel said.

"Huh?" Pink*Star asked.

"We're going to switch things up." Rose explained. "Normally a Chain Resonance requires each Weapon and Meister pair to Resonate individually. What we're going to do is have the Weapons Resonate with each other first, and then we'll add in the Meisters. Our Harmonies as partners will make this easy, and for Vlad it will feel almost like he's just Resonating with Elias as usual."

"This is nonsense." Vlad interrupted. "You are treating me like a sick child. I am not the problem. You all are the problem. Your Souls are too weak to Resonate with mine."

"That's not how Soul Resonance works Vlad, and you know it." Rose said, looking at him. "Me and Pink*Star both have pretty good control over our Soul Wavelengths. We've both been modulating our Souls to different frequencies all day to try and find one that you'd like. If you hadn't been shutting us out so thoroughly, you'd have noticed this."

"Don't be too hard on him, Rose." Elias said. "It's how he was raised, he's not allowed to show weakness."

"I don't care how he was raised." Pink*Star put in. "If he can't admit to having a problem then he shouldn't even be here."

"Pink*Star." Angel said.

"It is you that cannot admit to having a problem." Vlad insisted.

"If we could focus on the task at hand." Rose said. "Let's at least try my idea."

"Is Resonance even possible between Weapons, let alone more than two?" Pink*Star asked.

"It should be." Misuto's said. "I pass my Soul Waves to Angel. Angel amplifies them but passes them to Elias instead of me. Elias amplifies those Waves, and passes them to me, and so on."

"I think I can handle that." Angel said.

"Sounds like fun to me." Elias agreed. "Let's try it."

Angel, Elias and Misuto stood in a small circle in the middle of the clearing. They closed their eyes, and Rose could see their Souls interacting. It was patchy at first. Sometimes their Resonance cut out entirely. Without Angel, it might not have worked. Being a Reaper he was adept at controlling Souls and the Souls of others to a lesser degree. He managed to stabilize the Resonance in a few minutes and their combined Souls were causing a spiral of wind to blow through the clearing.

"Now." Rose said after a moment of watching their Resonance.

The three Weapons transformed, flying to their Meisters' hands. Amazingly Rose' idea worked. As she added her Soul to the Resonance she felt both Pink*Star's and Vlad's enter at the same moment. The 6 Souls were oscillating as one and their combined Wavelength filled the clearing, whipping up a wind that shook the trees around them.

From the edge of the clearing Soul applauded.

 **Late again. Sorry but I wrote myself into a corner and had a time figuring a way out. Is it a load of nonsense? Probably. XD Please let me know.**

 **My little game is still going. Leave a review and you can help me create a character that will be featured in this fic. Someone. Anyone. XD You don't have to help if you don't want, you could just leave a review. Ah well, I won't keep begging. XD Cut off point is midnight on Sunday, for your timezone.**

 **Don't forget to check out UlixesEmotion's Kingdom-Eater tumblr for her artwork of this fic, she's the one that made the cover art for this fic. And I'd still love a beta for this story, if anyone's interested. Even though it's almost over, there may be sequels…**


	32. Chapter 32

It was a warm dry night in the highlands of Pakistan. The tall mountains cast long shadows over the land. A group of people was gathered at the edge of a mesa. They all wore cloaks and dragon masks. One stood to the front of the others, its cloak and mask were different, more ornate than the others.

They cultists were all looking down the edge of mesa at the distant outline of a group of buildings. The buildings were tall and clustered closely together, huddling against the cliff.

"It is time." Said the foremost cultist. "The great dragon speaks. His will is that the DWMA be crushed."

The cultists behind him began to chant.

"Drought has fallen on this land." The cult leader said. "Death's servants will burn."

The figure turned to face the crowd and raised its arms. Fire formed a circle around the cultists. The flames rose higher and higher.

"This sacrifice will ensure the destruction of the DWMA!"

The figure brought his hands together and flames closed in around the chanting cultists. They were quickly consumed by the fire. The rise rose higher still and it formed into a great serpentine dragon of flame. The dragon roared and dived off the cliff toward the DWMA compound.

"It is done." The figure said. "The Great Dragon comes to consume Death."

Bellow him, the dragon of flame smashed into the largest building. The compound began to burn.

…

Days later Kidd was in the Death Room, waiting for a report. He was nervous. It had been too long, he should have heard from them by now. He had to make sure.

"Lord Death!" A courier cam running into the room, holding the report in question. "This just came in!"

"Thank you." Kidd said. He took the report and read it quickly. His eyes widened in horror.

"Summon the senior staff, immediately!" Kidd commanded.

"Yes, sir!" Said the courier. He hurried off.

…

Outside, Soul was watching his class practice when the courier came running up to him.

"Now?" Soul asked? "I'm watching my class."

"It's very urgent, Deathscythe." The courier said.

"Alright, alright." Soul said. He turned up the school. "What could be so urgent?"

…

The courier burst into Maka's classroom as she was lecturing.

"I'm sorry to interrupt." He said.

"Can I help you?" Maka asked. The courier whispered something in her ear.

"I understand." Maka said. She turned to her class. "Lord Death wants to see me, immediately. Please finish reading chapter 13 while I'm away."

She turned and left the room, but not before hearing the mutterings of the students.

"She never leaves a class."

"Something must be up."

…

In the Death Room, Kidd has assembled Spirit, Soul, Maka, Liz, Patty, Stein, Black*Star, Tsubaki, and Crona.

"What's up, Kidd?" Black*Star asked.

"Everyone I have an announcement." Kidd said, his voice grave. "The Academy's West Asia branch has just been taken out."

There were gasps and Crona whimpered.

"Taken out?" Soul asked.

"It's been completely destroyed. All personal are dead, all infrastructure destroyed" Kidd said, his voice breaking.

"How is that even possible?" Spirit asked. "Who has that much power?"

"We have only one clue." Kidd said. "The word Drought was burning into a nearby cliff face."

"Drought?" Maka asked.

"A cult we've been investigation" Black*Star said, venom in his voice. "They've already wiped out relief camps in India."

"It gets worse." Kidd said.

"How could it get worse?" Liz asked.

"All of the Souls are missing." Kidd said.

Maka broke down in tears and Soul put an arm around her.

"So many lives..." She said.

"This can't be just the work of a cult." Stein said. "We had 10,000 personal stationed in the West Asia branch, not to mention all of the civilians. This is too much even for a group of corrupted humans."

"You don't think-?" Spirit began, but he seemed unable to finished his though.

"That's impossible." Liz said. "Someone would have sensed it."

"I see no other way this is possible." Stein said. His hand went to the gear in his head and he began to turn it with a mechanical sound. "We have to accept that even if it wasn't true before, then it certainly is now after consuming all those Souls."

For a moment the only sound was the clicking and clacking of Stein's screw was he turned it. Then he stopped with a louder click.

"A Kishin has risen once again." He finished.

There was silence in the room.

"You're right, of course." Kidd said, breaking the silent. "Nothing else this is powerful."

"But like I said." Liz said. "There are thousands of Meisters around the world with Soul Perception. One of them must have seen something."

"She has a point." Spirit put in. "A Kishin's Madness cannot be contained, it would spread over the whole continent, at least."

"And yet none of us have noticed a thing." Stein said. His hands were twitching as though he longed to light a cigarette, though had a long since given up smoking. "Evidently it can be contained."

"But how?" Soul asked. "Madness interferes with magic. Soul Protect wouldn't work, even if it was strong enough to contain the Madness."

"Anyway some of us can see through Soul Protect." Maka said, having recovered.

"Exactly." Stein continued. "The war of techniques moves on. We have overcome Soul Protect, therefore it was only a matter of time before another such spell was created to hide the true form of one's Soul."

"That would take extremely powerful magic." Kidd said. "But we are allied with the Witches now. They would not create such a technique, it would be in violation of our treaty."

"There are rouge witches though." Soul said. "And warlocks too, few though they may be. I think he do have a Kishin, and a powerful magic user working together."

"We must assume so." Kidd decided.

"The question is what do we do now?" Spirit said. "We can hardly keep the destruction of an entire branch a secret."

"We must double security at every remaining branch." Kidd said. "I will assign our three-star Meisters and their weapons to new posts around the world. Black*Star you need to get to the West European branch, there are no Death-Scythes stationed there right now."

"Right." Black*Star said. He and Tsubaki left.

"Spirit, East Europe." Kidd continued. "Stein, East Asia. Cid and Nygus I'll send to Africa as soon as they get back. Marie is already in Oceania so I'll alert her."

"What about us?" Maka asked, holding Soul's hand.

"You two have classes here." Kidd said.

"They can get along without us." Soul said. "We'll take care of South America."

"Very well." Kidd said. "I will see about substitutes for your classes in any case. Everyone, move out."

…

Rose and Misuto were surprised to find that classes had been canceled the next day.

"What's going on?" Rose wondered. "Are we under attack again?"

But the news spread quickly like a cloud that seemed to blot out the sun. The West Asia branch gone, thousands dead and their Souls consumed. It seemed to suck the life out of the school. Then came the drought. Death City was admittedly in the middle of the desert, but it had a river, really an irrigation canal, called Styx. But the river dried up and plants in the city began to die.

The same thing was happening all around the world, in all the regions that hosted a branch of the DWMA. Over the next few weeks, France, Russia, Pakistan, Japan, Brazil, and Chad all experienced severe drought. Rivers simply ceased to flow, and hope seemed to evaporate along with them.

Then came the news that not all DWMA personal of the West Asia branch were dead. There was one survivor.

 **Well that got depressing. XD I missed Friday's upload, so I'll be posting two chapters tonight. Speaking of, tonight is the deadline of my little game. Leave a review if you want to help me create a character who will be featured in this fic next week. Or just leave a review even you don't want to help. XD Please.**

 **Don't forget to check out UlixesEmotion's Kingdom-Eater tumblr for her artwork of this fic, she's the one that made the cover art for this fic. And I'd still love a beta for this story, if anyone's interested. Even though it's almost over, there may be sequels…**


	33. Chapter 33

He arrived a month after the destruction of the DMWA's West Asia branch. The only one from the branch to be out on a mission on the night of the incident.

Rose and Misuto saw him walking through the gates of Death City. He was young, very young. Perhaps 11. A boy with short black hair and brown eyes. He looked Indian and wore lose light grey robes that made him look as though he had just trekked across a desert. Which of course he had, the DWMA was in the middle of a desert.

The boy glanced at Rose was he passed. His eyes were red-brown. But then he looked at Mifune who had been sent to escort him to the Death Room.

"He's a Weapon." Rose told Misuto as the boy followed Mifune.

"And he's all that's left." Misuto replied.

…

In the Death Room, Kidd was reading the file of the lone survivor. Liz and Patty were in a corner, Kidd had instructed them to remain in the Death Room as much as possible in case he needed them.

Name: Urumi Vritra.

Age: 11

City of Birth: Hyderabad.

Status: Weapon

Weapon Form: Urumi *****.

Partner: None, Autonomous.

Rank: Equivalent to two-star Mesiter.

"Lord Death."

Kidd looked up. Mifune had arrived with Urumi.

"Thank you, Mifune." Kidd said.

Mifune nodded and left.

"How are you, Urumi?" Kidd asked.

Urumi shrugged, but didn't say anything.

"Do you need anything? Counseling?" Kidd went on.

"I don't think so." Urumi said. He spoke with a slight accent.

"You seem to be taking this very well." Kidd said.

"If I let it get to me, I'll be useless." Urumi replied.

Kidd nodded.

"Can you tell me anything about what happened?" Kidd asked.

"Not much." Urumi replied. "I was in Turkey on a mission. By the time I got back, it was all over."

"Was there any indication that Drought was planning something this big?" Kidd asked.

"None." Urumi said. "I had only ever heard their name in passing. I had no idea they were a serious threat."

"Very well." Kidd said. "We have an apartment prepared for you. If you want to attend classes, we'll be starting again today."

"Thank you." Ururmi said. He turned and left.

"Talkative kid." Said Liz, sarcastically.

"How would you feel?" Kidd asked.

"I don't like to think about it." Liz replied.

"Well that would be why." Kidd said.

…

On the outskirts of Paris, the moon shined down upon the tall towers and pointed arches of the DWMA's Western branch.

Clocked figures were assembled en mass a few yards from the high stone walls. One figure, with robes and mask more ornate than the rest, stood at the front of the crowd. He raised his arms.

"Tonight we strike a blow against the tyranny of Death." He announced. "The Great Dragon demands tribute."

The cultists began to chant. Fire sprang to life around them. The flames rose higher and higher against the dark sky. The lead cultist began move his hands together but he stopped when he noticed a flash of light streak past him. Something was wrong, he looked at his hands. They weren't there.

"YAHOO!" Came a shout from behind him.

The lead cultist turned around, the stumps of his forearms spurting blood. He growled and muttered an incantation, his hands began to regrow. Behind him the flames of his failed ritual died away.

"The mighty Black*Star has arrived!" Black*Star announced, catching Tsubaki in her shuriken mode. "Tsubaki, ninja sword mode."

"Right." Tsubaki acknowledged. In a flash of yellow light she changed into a short sword.

"DWMA scum!" The lead cultist spat. "You will not stop Drought."

"You've killed enough people." Tsubaki said. "We're here to bring you to justice."

"Prepare to die!" Black*Star yelled.

The lead cultist beckoned, and his fellows gathered around Black*Star. They all pulled out weapons, wicked-looking daggers, swords, axes, and spiked clubs.

"Your Soul will appease the Great Dragon." The lead cultist said.

"I don't think so." Black*Star replied. "Speed star!"

The assassin disappeared. The some of cultists looked around, confused. One by one they dissolved into nothing, leading behind their red glowing Souls. In a few moments, the crowd of cultists was gone.

The lead cultist felt a blade pressed against his throat.

"You're too slow." Said Black*Star from behind him.

"You can cut us down, heretic." Replied the cultist "But more will arise."

"I'll kill you all." Black*Star promised. His hand began to move, the blade mere moments away from slitting the lead cultist's throat.

The air around him exploded and Black*Star found himself yards away at the edge of a huge circle of charred and blackened ground. He quickly got to his feet, looking around for the cultist.

The cultist had not moved. He slowly turned around and with a motion like cracking a whip, sent a line of fireballs soaring toward Black*Star. Black*Star stepped aside a rushed forward, but he was too late. The cultist was fading into grey smoke, laughing.

"Damn coward." Black*Star muttered.

…

"I still can't do it." Rose said out loud. She and Misuto were in the Death Room with Kidd.

Rose had been trying for weeks to achieve the transformation she had twice used before by fusing Light with life-force. So far she had not been successful.

"You're expecting too much of yourself." Kidd said, reassuringly. "What you are trying to do has never been done by anyone else.

"Still I should have managed it by now." Rose complained.

"Maybe we can only do it during times of stress." Misuto suggested.

"It's not that." Rose told him. "I need a lot of both energy types. Light is easy to find with you around. But the level of life-force I need to access. I don't know how to tap into the energy of a world."

"Alright." Said Misuto. "This is a bit beyond my reckoning."

"Well that's enough for today." Kidd decided. "You've already been at it a few hours. You should both go home and rest."

"Alright." Rose replied.

Misuto returned to his human form, and gripped Rose' hand, smiling.

"You'll get it." He said.

"Thanks." Rose said, smiling a bit in return.

The two of them walked out of the Death Room, hand in hand, passing Black*Stat going in the opposite direction. On their way out of the school, they found Urumi sitting on the top of the stairs overlooking the City.

Urumi looked around at their approach.

"Hello." He said, with a smile.

"Hi." Rose said, also smiling.

It was a slightly awkward moment. Urumi, despite being younger than them, was in a higher class. They had never actually spoken to him before.

"Please, sit." Urumi said.

"Uh, ok." Rose and Misuto sat down next him.

"The view here is beautiful." Urumi said.

"Yeah, it is." Rose replied.

There was silence for a moment.

"You're a Grim Reaper, aren't you?" Urumi asked.

"How'd you know that?" Misuto asked. "You can't see Souls, can you?"

"Of course not." Urumi said. "But people talk. I've heard about you."

"We've certainly heard of you." Rose said. "How are you doing?"

"As well as could be expected." Urumi said. "Before you ask, I deal with it by not talking about it."

"I understand." Rose said.

Which was a lie, because she didn't understand at all. How could anyone keep their grief bottled up like that? Rose certainly couldn't manage it. But she supposed that different people dealt with their problems in different ways.

"I'm going to find them." Urumi said.

"Who?" Rose asked.

"The people responsible." Urumi replied, still smiling. "I will make them pay. But until then, I keep smiling."

Neither Rose nor Misuto said anything.

"But I don't suppose it matters." Urumi went on. "For now I will enjoy the sunset."

 **I'm late! Again! Sorry, folks. I'll post a bonus chapter sometime before Friday to make it up to you.**

 **Well the deadline is passed and no reviews. Guess I'm making that character on my own. Oh well, I had to try. XD But please do let me know what you think.**

 **Don't forget to check out UlixesEmotion's Kingdom-Eater tumblr for her artwork of this fic, she's the one that made the cover art for this fic. And I'd still love a beta for this story, if anyone's interested. Even though it's almost over, there may be sequels…**

 ***A urumi is a real weapon, kind of like a metallic whip. Some of them have multiple blades. They are pretty dang cool, I encourage you to look them up sometime.**


	34. Chapter 34

**Warning: Stuff happens. This will not be a happy chapter.**

It was a sunny spring day, April the 1st in fact. The DWMA was celebrating the anniversary of it's founding. That very night there would be a party for the students and faculty. Classes had been let out early and Rose and Misuto found themselves needing formal wear for the festivities.

"Time for the shopping district, I guess." Misuto said.

"Yep." Rose said cheerfully. "My dad sent me some money."

"My parents did too." Misuto said. "I guess they knew this was coming."

"I guess so." Rose replied.

Se stopped in front of a store.

"I think I'll go in here." She told Misuto.

"Ok. Want me to come with?" He asked.

"I think it should be a surprise." Rose said, smiling.

"Alright." Misuto agreed. "Meet at home later?"

"Yep." Rose said.

Misuto walked off by himself. It occurred to him that he had rarely spent time without Rose. It was natural for partners he supposed. Still, it felt odd not be walking beside her.

Misuto shook his head and decided to focus on the task at hand. That was an issue though. Misuto had never actually shopped for clothing for himself. He was only 13 after all, his mother had done all of his shopping.

He also had no particular sense of fashion. He had always wore clothing that was practical, he never worried too much about how it looked. But now he was attending a formal party and that meant a suit.

Well, he decided, there was no point putting if off. He'd just have to pick something, and hope it didn't look completely stupid. He looked around at the various clothing stores, and found one that sold men's formal wear. With a sigh, he walked through the doors

…

That evening, Rose and Misuto were both getting ready for the part. Misuto examined himself in the mirror as he did up his tie. He was wearing a royal blue suit and pants, with a grey undershirt and his tie was decorated with flames in various shades of blue. *****

He looked at his mane of spiky brown hair. He wished he could tame it. But he knew from past experience that any attempt to do so would be wasted. His hair did what it wanted. Well he was now as ready as he could get.

He opened the door of his room and walked into the living room. Rose was still getting ready, evidently.

"Rose, it's almost time to go." He called.

"Coming." Rose replied.

A moment later, the door to her room opened. Rose stepped out wearing a wraparound dress that faded from blue at the hem to white at the collar. It was held by a pin near the top. Rose was also wearing a shell necklace that Kairi had once gifted her.

"Wow." Misuto said, once he found his voice again. "You look nice."

"Thanks." Rose said, giggling. "You look great too. Shall we then?"

"Yeah." Misuto said.

…

Soon there were on the steps of the DWMA. The main doors were thrown open and signs pointed to the main ballroom. They could here music drifting down the hall, which was decorated with lights and skulls.

They found Angel in a pure white suit and black tie hanging around the door.

"Waiting for Pink*Star?" Rose asked, smirking.

"Shut up." Angel responded, blushing slightly.

"Yo!" Came the assassin's voice from behind them.

The three of them turned around. Pink*Star was wearing a short, pink dress that matched her hair. This was such a stark contrast to her usual, manly clothing, that they couldn't help but stare at her.

"What you looking at?" She asked, raising and eyebrow. "Let's go inside, before they run out of food."

They four of them went through the doors and down the hall to the ballroom. They found it already packed with people and Rose and Misuto were separated from Pink*Star and Angel as they made their way in.

A few minutes later, Kidd walked up on stage holding a microphone. The chattering crowd fell silent and all turned to him.

"Thank you all for coming tonight." Kidd began. "As you know, tonight we celebrate the founding of the DWMA, and on this occasion-"

"Lord Death!" Came a voice from the door.

Everyone turned to see who was interrupting the party. It was Harvar D. Éclair. There were gasps from the crowd. He was bruised and blood-stained, his clothes were ripped and singed.

"Harvar?" Kidd asked. "You're alive!"

Harvar had been missing for months, along with his Meister Ox Ford, Justin Law, and several other DWMA students. They had long since been assumed dead.

"Lord Death, DWMA is in danger!" Harvar exclaimed. "A Kishin has risen again."

"We know that Harvar." Kidd said. "But where have you been? Where's-"

At that moment the lights went out. There was confused muttering from the crowd.

"What's going on?" Kidd asked.

From out on the balcony came a burst of fire. People gasped and they all turned to face the orange glare.

"Let me through." Kidd commanded, pushing his way through the crowd toward the door.

In flaming letters on the stone of the balcony the word 'DROUGHT' glowed clearly in the darkness. Then somebody screamed. As Misuto's eyes adjusted to the darkness, he saw why. He felt his breath catch in his throat. Lying on the ground beside the burning word was a body.

"No! NOOOO!"

The scream came from Kim Diehl, who was being held back by her partner Jacqueline.

Ox Ford stared up at the sky through unseeing eyes, the stone floor visible through the huge hole where his chest should have been.

…

Rose and Misuto were among the crowd at Ox's funeral. Though they had not known Ox well, all of the DWMA was in attendance. Death the Kidd delivered the eulogy, his voice clear and somber, in the cold bright, morning. Kilik and Kim also spoke briefly about their friendship with Ox. Kim seemed past tears now. Her voice was flat, and emotionless.

After the service, Rose and Misuto walked up the balcony, and leaned on the railing, stared out at the city. Neither of them said anything.

After a moment they heard footsteps behind them. Rose turned to see Harvar approaching her. Misuto silently pushed off the railing and walked to the far side of the balcony, clearly wanting to give Harvar some privacy.

Rose didn't know Havar well either. Like Ox, he had been missing for months. But she had heard a few things about him. They turned out to be correct, for Havar showed no hint of emotion. Though his eyes were covered, Rose could see a tension in his Soul that indicated that he was holding in his grief. True to what people said, Harvar didn't mince words.

"Bring him back." Harvar said without preamble.

Rose said nothing, just frowned at him. She had been afraid this might happen. And she knew that Harvar would not like the answer.

"I know you can do it." Harvar said, his voice held no trace of emotion. "You're a Grim Reaper, and far more powerful even than Lord Death. Everyone knows that."

Still Rose said nothing.

"So bring him back. Please." Harvar said again.

Rose looked down, and shook her head.

"What do you want in return?" Havar asked, his voice still empty. "Money? Tutoring? Name it."

"I can't bring him back, Havar." Rose said, quietly.

"Yes you can." Havar said, his voice taking on an edge. "Don't lie to me."

"Even if I knew how." Rose said, looking up at him now. "I still couldn't do it. It wouldn't be right."

"Don't give me that crap." Havar said. "You can do it, you can learn how."

"He's gone, Harvar." Rose said. "Bringing him back would be against the natural order. The that order it's my duty to uphold. The order you and have Ox worked your whole lives to preserve."

"I don't care about the natural order!" Havard shouted. "I-"

Havar was silent for a moment.

"I don't know what to do without him." He finished.

"I'm sorry." Rose said.

"Logic has always shown me a clear path through life." Harvar said. "But my logic doesn't tell me what I need to do."

"Then what are you going to do?" Rose asked, with apprehension.

"I see only two paths." Harvar said. "One of them ends right here."

"And the other?" Rose asked.

"The other leads to revenge." Haravr said.

"You're thinking not clearly, Harvar." Rose said. "Both of those paths end in your destruction."

"That does not matter." Harvar replied. "They are my only paths."

"You always have the choice to live." Rose told him.

"Not anymore." Harvar said. He turned away.

Rose grabbed him by the shoulder.

"I won't let you do this." She said.

Harvar threw her hand off, and turned to face her, his hand transformed.

"If you try to stop me, I'll kill you as well." He said, his voice full of venom.

Misuto started forward, but Rose raised a hand to stop him.

"I'm sorry, Harvar." Rose said. Then, faster than he could react, she tapped his forehead.

Harvar slumped the ground, unconscious.

"He'll be fine." Rose told Misuto. "He's just asleep. I couldn't think of any other way of stopping him from doing something stupid."

"We should get him to the Dispensary." Misuto said. "And tell Stein to have him guarded."

Working together, Rose and Misuto carried Harvar down a few flights of stairs to the Dispensary, where he was put in bed and under guard.

The next morning they learned that Harvar was gone. He had overpowered his guard, and left Death City.

 **So I had planned on posting this before Friday. But things happened. I decided to have this chapter take place during the Anniversary Party, and that meant formal clothing for our heroes. I wanted UlixesEmotion's feedback on Rose' dress (which she'll be posting a picture of soon enough on her tumblr). So I had to wait for her. Not her fault, I write these things late at night when she and rest of the human race are asleep. XD I'm still a chapter behind, but never fear, I will post another chapter later today.**

 **On the other hand, this is the most serious of the chapters so far. I did say there would be character death.**

 **Don't forget to check out UlixesEmotion's Kingdom-Eater tumblr for her artwork of this fic, she's the one that made the cover art for this fic. And I'd still love a beta for this story, if anyone's interested. Even though it's almost over, there may be sequels…**

 ***Misuto's suit is based on Sora's Wisdom form.**


End file.
